There is no one story of Indian folk art. Be it the canvas-filling geom tric shapes of ancient Warli art from Maharashtra, the dizzying dashes and dots of Gond and Bhil art from central India, or the playful yet precise paintings of Madhubani and Kalighat art from the east, each form has its own deep history and vocabulary, despite the many interactions and interconnections.
In the last century, industrial paper has replaced mud walls and floo s as the main canvas, and the sacred philosophies behind many of the folk traditions have become absorbed into the grand narrative of the country's race to modernize. Many of the self-taught artists, outsiders to urban art markets, have been compelled to take to daily-wage labour. However, a few have stood the test of time-sometimes by chance and sometimes through sheer will-radically opposing reigning ideas of industrial progress and art market trends, and inspiring younger generations of artists today.
SITA AND GANGA DEVI MADHUBANI
Here, we celebrate the greatest modernists of Indian folk art wall in the city for the grand wedding celebrations, starting with the kobbar ghar or the room made for the young bride and groom. Over the centuries, as the tradition flourished, it was artists such as Ganga Devi, Jamuna Devi, and Sita Devi who began to be celebrated and recognized as the modern pioneers of Madhubani art in the 1960s and '70s. "They were the first to transfer the traditional art form from mud walls to paper-provided by the Handloom Handicrafts Export Corporation-a medium that allowed the painted stories to travel to exhibitions and audiences around the world," explains Amit Kumar Jain, the director of Anant Art Gallery in Noida. Determined and driven to represent her community, Sita Devi, in particular, became the face of the ancient Indian art form, representing India at exhibitions across Japan, Europe, the USSR, and the United States.
Denne historien er fra January - February 2023-utgaven av AD Architectural Digest India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra January - February 2023-utgaven av AD Architectural Digest India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
IT TAKES A VILLAGE
IN A TRADITIONAL, OPEN-TO-SKY COURTYARD HOME IN ANEGUNDI, NEAR HAMPI, HERITAGE CONSERVATIONIST, PAINTER AND FOUNDER OF THE KISHKINDA TRUST, SHAMA PAWAR LIVES AND REVITALIZES CRAFT TRADITIONS BORN FROM THE LAND'S RICH PAST.
MATKAS OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FORM, RESIST-DYED SACRED CLOTHS HUNG AS TAPESTRIES, MUD PLASTER OR "LIPAI" WALLS, AND A JOURNEY IN COLOURS AND PODDAR AND EESHAAN PIGMENTS ANUPAM KASHYAP 'S DELHI HOME IS A PURSUIT OF A LAYERED, TACTILE BEAUTY.
Anupam Poddar and Eeshaan Kashyap's generous first-floor apartment in the shadow of Humayun's Tomb harks to a leisurely way of living.
CLASSIC BEIRUT HERITAGE AND GLAMOUR
A COLLECTOR AND ANTIQUE S DEALER, THE LATE HOME, BEIT CHABEB I N BEIRUT, IS A COMING JOE TOHMES GREATEST PASSION PROJECT, HIS TOGETHER OF THE RUSTIC AND THE REFINED.
LAL KOTHI
TEXTILE LOVERS PETER AND CECILE D'ASCOLI TRANSFORM THEIR DELHI FARMHOUSE INTO A KALEIDOSCOPIC FEAT OF COLOUR AND PATTERN.
ATELIERS DE FRANCE
More than 15 million spectators are expected to descend on Paris for the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer, and they won't be there to see only the sporting events.
ON THE EARTH
On a bright, breezy afternoon at La Pelota in the heart of Milan-where Hermès holds its annual presentation every springBenoit Pierre Emery, the creative director of tableware, laid out a tray with pieces from the dinner service Tressages Équestres.
JAIN HANDICRAFTS OPENS A STORE IN AHMEDABAD, DESIGNED BY SAMIR WADEKAR, WITH A CURATED COLLECTION DRAWN FROM THEIR SEA OF ANTIQUES.
When Jain Handicrafts, a multigenerational family business dealing in period furniture and objets d'art, showcased their collection at the annual AD Design Show last year, they were amazed by the positive response they received from visitors.
MASTER WEAVER SHAMJI VANKAR TAKES A SLICE OF HIS CULTURE TO XTANT, A HERITAGE TEXTILE FESTIVAL HELD IN MALLORCA THIS SUMMER.
Art is made by a single individual for the enjoyment of another.
RITU KUMAR HOME'S LATEST TABLEWARE COLLECTION DRAWS FROM IKAT AND CHINTZ.
Ritu Kumar's home collections have always reflected her love for handlooms and Indian art forms. Be it intricate Mughal art or elaborate Kashmiri booti, the table linen, serveware and even glassware borrow from traditional motifs.
SIX DECADES SINCE ITS ORIGIN, BAREFOOT IN COLOMBO REMAINS DEDICATED TO LATE FOUNDER BARBARA SANSONI'S LOVE OF HANDLOOM.
Amid a kaleidoscope of colours in the upholstery section of Barefoot's store in Colombo, the rolls of material stand out for their vibrant variations of green.