Folk painting is an expression of culture shared by a specific group of people in pictorial form, and it includes traditions specific to that culture, subculture, or group. For millennia, folk paintings have been a part of India's traditions. Every region of India has its own folk painting traditions, ranging from the prehistoric cave paintings of Bhimbetka to Madhubani, which is thought to be as old as the Ramayana, to the frescoes at Ajanta and Ellora. Indian Folk Paintings are generally pictorial expressions distinguished by topics drawn from epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Purana, as well as ordinary village life, birds and animals, and natural phenomena such as the sun, moon, plants, and trees. This article will explain to you the concepts related to Indian Folk Paintings which will be helpful in Indian Art and Culture preparation for the UPSC Civil Services Exam.

Folk Paintings

• Folk painting is the expressive body of culture shared by a specific group of people, and it includes the traditions that are unique to that culture, subculture, or group.
• The folk group is a function of a shared community-based identity, not of individualism.
• Folk artists are not self-taught; they learn and teach the creation and production of folk art informally or officially.
• Religion-related: These are mythological legends, epic stories, and so on.
• The varied folk art traditions of India are more than just an important part of our culture.
• They serve as a link to India's history and traditions, and several organizations, individuals, and initiatives are working to preserve them in recognition of their importance.

Madhubani Paintings

• It's also known as Mithila paintings, and it's traditionally done by women from villages near Madhubani town.
• The art can be found in Nepal's Terai region and its surrounding areas. The paintings all have a common theme and are usually inspired by Hindu religious motifs such as Krishna, Rama, Durga, Lakshmi, and Shiva.
• The figures in the picture are symbolic; for instance, a fish represents good fortune and fertility.
• Paintings of auspicious occasions such as births, marriages, and festivals are also created.
• To fill in any gaps in the painting, flowers, trees, animals, and so on are used. On a base of cow dung and mud, these were traditionally painted on walls with rice paste and vegetable colors.
• With time, the foundation shifted to handmade paper, clothing, and canvas, with natural colors remaining.
• The paintings appear two-dimensional due to the lack of shading. The double line border, intense use of color, intricate floral patterns, and exaggerated facial features are all prevalent aspects of these paintings.
• Madhubani paintings are thought to have originated during the Ramayana period when the ruler of Mithila instructed his subjects to paint the walls and floors of their homes in honor of Sita and Rama's marriage.
• The people believed that by doing so, the Gods would be pleased. Madhubani painting has been passed down the generations primarily by women.

Pattachitra

• Pattachitra is a traditional Odisha artwork whose name stems from the Sanskrit words patta, which means canvas/cloth, and chitra, which means picture.
• The paintings combine classical and folk themes, with a slight preference for the latter.
• The painting's base is treated cotton, and the colors are made from natural materials such as burnt coconut shells, Hingula, Ramaraja, and lamp black. Instead of using a pencil or charcoal, a brush is used to draw the outlines in red or yellow, which are then filled in with the colors.
• The paintings feature an intricately wrought frame and the background is covered with greenery and flowers. After the final lines have been created, the painting is lacquered to give it a glossy sheen.
• These paintings are based on the Jagannath and Vaishnava religions, with some Shakti and Shiva cults thrown in for good measure.
• This art form is well-known in Raghurajpur, Odisha. The pattachitra paintings show images that are reminiscent of the state's historic murals, particularly those at Puri and Konark. Talapattachitra is pattachitra on a palm leaf.

Patua Arts

• Patua art, Bengali art, dates back over a thousand years. It began as a local custom in which artists would tell Mangal Kavyas, or auspicious stories about Gods and Goddesses.
• These paintings are done on pats or scrolls, and scroll painters, or patuas, have been traveling to different towns to sing their stories in exchange for food or money for generations.
• Traditionally, these were painted on fabric to tell religious stories; nowadays, they are painted with poster paints on sewed-together sheets of paper to make political and social statements.
• These patuas are largely from the state's Midnapur district, while chitrakars are from the state's north and South 24 Parganas and Birbhum districts.

Kalighat Paintings

• Kalighat paintings were created by rural migrants who lived around the Kalighat temple in the then British capital of Calcutta (now Kolkata) in the 19th century as a consequence of the evolving urban civilization of Calcutta (now Kolkata) (Calcutta).
• Watercolors were painted on mill paper with calf and squirrel hair brushes.
• The painted figures have a plaque-like impression on a neutral background given the shading contours and articulated movements.
• The paintings originally represented religious figures, particularly Hindu Gods and Goddesses.
• These paintings were popular as a means of expressing societal feelings over time. The Kalighat paintings are the country's first of their sort, expressing subaltern sentiments and directly addressing customers.
• Changes in women's and men's roles, romantic representations of women, and satirical paintings exposing the hypocrisies of newly wealthy people can all be found in more contemporary works.

Paitkar Paintings

• Paitkar paintings, also known as scroll paintings, are a type of painting practiced by tribal people in Jharkhand. They are regarded as one of the country's oldest schools of painting. Ma Mansa, one of the most prominent deities in tribal households, is associated with this ancient kind of painting.
• Giving charity and holding yajnas are among the social and religious customs depicted in these paintings. 'What happens to human life after death is a recurrent theme in Paitkar's paintings.

Kalamkari Paintings

• The name derives from the word kalam, which means pen, and refers to the pen that is used to create these beautiful works of art.
• The pen is constructed of sharp-pointed bamboo and is used to control the flow of the colors.
• The fabric is made of cotton, and the colors are made with vegetable dyes.
• The pen is steeped in a solution of fermented jaggery and water, then the vegetable colors are applied one by one.
• The images were created freehand and were inspired by Hindu mythology. Handcrafted textiles are also made here. The cartwheel, lotus flower, animals, and interlacing patterns of flowers and leaves are among the motifs used by the artisans in the latter area.

Warli Paintings

• These paintings have a striking resemblance to the prehistoric mural paintings at Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh.
• The center motif of a chaukat or chauk is surrounded by scenes depicting fishing, hunting, farming, dances, animals, trees, and festivals in these ritualistic paintings.
• Palaghata (goddess of fertility) is depicted with the Goddesses, whereas those spirits who have taken human form are depicted among the male gods.
• Paintings on the walls are traditionally done with extremely basic visual language, such as a triangle, a circle, and a square.
• The circle is inspired by the sun or moon, the triangle by conical-shaped trees or mountains, and the square by a sacred enclosure or plot of land.
• Two triangles are linked at the point to resemble a human or animal, with circles acting as their head.
• The base is built of mud, branches, and cow manure, which gives it a rusty ochre hue. Only white pigment, manufactured from a blend of gum and rice powder, is used for painting.

Thangka Paintings

• Thangkas were originally adopted as a form of veneration, evoking Buddhism's ultimate ideals.
• Traditionally created by Buddhist monks and members of a specific ethnic community, the expertise of these paintings has been passed down the generations.
• Thangkas are created using paints manufactured from natural vegetable or mineral colors on a cotton canvas basis (white backdrop). Each of the colors utilized in the artwork has its own meaning.
• The picture is usually framed in colorful silk brocade after it is completed.

Manjusha Paintings

• The Bhagalpur region of Bihar is home to this art form.
• Angika art is another name for it, with 'ang' referring to one of the Mahajan Pada.
• It's also known as snake painting since snake patterns are constantly present.
• These paintings are done on jute and paper cartons.

Phad Paintings

• It is a scroll-type art that is mostly seen in Rajasthan. It is religious in nature, with depictions of local deities such as Pabuji and Devnarayan.
• They are 15 feet or 30 feet long and painted with vegetable colors on a long piece of cloth called phad.
• The subjects have round features and wide eyes. They often feature pompous and cheerful narratives, as well as scenes of the procession.

Conclusion

Indian folk art is still alive and well in many sections of the country, having been passed down from generation to generation. As a result of their cultural diversity and uniqueness, a wide range of art styles have evolved over time, some remaining unaffected by modernization and others adapting to new paint colors and materials. Folk paintings are primarily concerned with Indian villages. Village painters' pictorial expressions are distinguished by topics drawn from epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Purana, as well as ordinary village life, birds and animals, and natural phenomena such as the sun, moon, planets, and trees.