The Banyan Tree Print

"The Banyan Tree" is a drawing with permanent marker on 9"x12" paper. It has been created freehand, without any prior pencil drawing. For depicting figures and nature, "Mithila" or "Madhubani" folk painting style of India has been used for this artwork. A Banyan tree and the surrounding rural scene, in stylized form, has been depicted in this drawing. The free-flowing primitive art like freehand lines and figures (and often used bright and vibrant colours) of Mithila art, also known as Madhubani art, inspire me. It is a folk art of my native place in Bihar, India, where women folk used to paint on the mud walls of the village houses and interior walls of the rural houses. Traditionally, it was more of a mural art, now being done on paper, fabrics and other materials. I have grown up seeing my grandmother and aunts drawing and painting during ceremonies and festivals, sometimes as a ritual, with specific symbols being used for specific paintings and occasions, and/or for decoration. For me, it was a part of the family ceremonies, until I grew up to study art and design and tried to understand the deeper significance of these symbolic folk art created generation after generation, by household women folk who were not designated as “artists”. Maybe, being a part of this cultural tradition, the bold colors and freehand fine lines formed a part of my psyche and subconscious influence, even when I did not try to do it consciously. Some traditional styles used very bright and vibrant natural colors whereas some are drawn using monochromatic lines, like red or black and white. The figures drawn are flat, linear and without perspective. I like working with the Mithila/ Madhubani folk art in the traditional as well as contemporary context. I love to explore different mediums from black pen and marker to bright and vibrant colors, and this one is a drawing in black and white.