Krishna is a mythological character from Indian culture. Krishna as per Indian mythology was one of the most powerful incarnations of Vishnu (Vishnu is a member of the Holy Trinity). Krishna was the exponent of the Bhagavad Gita. Krishna was also known as Gopala. The word Gopala means the owner of a herd of cows. Gop is the community Krishna belonged to. Here he is seen dancing with a group of Gopinis which means the female folks from the Gop community. The dance which depicts love is known as Raas or Raas Leela.

In this painting, Krishna is seen playing the flute and the Gopinis are dancing to the tune which is traditionally known as Raas. This painting was done on Imperial size 300gsm (140 lb.) Cold Pressed Bockingford paper with Watercolour and Ink.

This painting is based on the traditional Madhubani style of painting.

Madhubani style of painting is also known as Mithila Painting. Mithila was a region that is presently part of Bihar in India and Nepal. The roots of this art form are believed to be during the Ramayana period which was during the 7th century. This art form was unknown to the outside world until in 1934 an earthquake tumbled the houses of this region and the then British colonial officer in Madhubani stumbled upon the paintings.

The myth goes that when Sita was to be married to Rama the father of Sita, King Janaka, the ruler of Mithila commissioned local artists to paint murals in his palace. Originally these paintings were done on the walls of Khobar Ghar or the nuptial chamber of newlyweds. The walls were coated with mud and cow dung and Madhubani paintings were created on them. Like most art forms Madhubani art took inspiration from nature and Hindu mythological motifs.

Usually, the paintings do not leave any space and the blank spaces are filled with designs of flowers, animals, birds, flowers, plants, or geometric patterns. Bright colours were used and they were sourced from natural ingredients like turmeric, lime, milk of the banyan tree, a red flower named Kusum, sandalwood, rose, rice powder, etc.

Madhubani art form is very popular nowadays.

More paintings in Madhubani style are available on this website.

Read more about Madhubani Paintings in our blog post HERE.

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