I liked Mithila painting the very first time that I saw it. The bright colours and village scenes amid lush jungles and bountiful nature really appealed to me, although nostalgically I now realize.
So I was shocked the first time I saw paintings done by today’s guest. Although they featured the same vibrant colours and verdant backdrops, one example showed two women kissing under a tree and another depicted a woman standing and bleeding profusely during her period. But my shock soon wore off and I started wondering who was creating these very modern scenes using the traditional art form.
Mithila painting has been practised, as a part of Mithila culture, for thousands of years by women in the region straddling Nepal’s southern border with India. Traditionally women created it on the walls and floors of their homes, often to mark a religious event. But in recent decades it has also become a commercial art form, painted to be sold. At the same time, the tradition of mothers passing on Mithila painting skills is dying out, says today’s guest, Sapana Sanjeevani.
Resources
Sapana's paintings on:
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Thank you to PEI in Bakhundole for the use of their studios.
Nepal Now is produced and hosted by Marty Logan.
