Alok KUMAR, CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF JHARKHAND, India
Derived from Maithil practices and festivals and assumed to protect the household, the Madhubani Paintings spread since the 1960s in India and abroad. Transferred on paper in order to be commercialized, they undergo important changes with time. K. Basu emphasizes: “though globalization has so far served the handicrafts sector well, there is no denial that some of these products will come under attack and India will not be able to word that off”. Due to globalisation and commercialisation Mithila art transformed from household art to the creative economy in the region. Apart from the global economic factors there are several local factors too that have hindered the growth of folk arts, scarcity of raw material, corruption and administrative inefficiency, environmental and social concerns, limited information and capability and other problems associated with trading and exchange. The next significant aspect that needs to pointed out here is of the gendering of the art, which is also a sufficiently researched dimension. The gendering of work (i.e., whether it was labelled "feminine" or "masculine") was and is a continuing social process. The study tries to assess the implication of commercialisation on Mithila art in terms of its aesthetic beauty and originality in Mithilanchal (Mithila Region of Bihar) of Bihar. The paper also tries to analyse the modern aspects of Indian handicrafts and critically analyse the dilemma between being accepted in the global economy and at the same time maintain its local creative flavour. The idea is to understand the relationship between art, artisans and the appreciation for the artistic endeavours by people around.
Mots clés : Mithila Art|Mithilanchal|Commercialisation|Madhubani Painting|Creative Economy.
A105248AK