KATHMANDU
Mithila art is the traditional form of art that is believed to be developed from the ancient kingdom of Mithila in Nepal.
Traditionally women of Nepal and some parts of India practice Mithila art also known as Madhubani art and are mandatory during festivals and celebrations. Hence, Mithila paintings have religious importance too and are integral part of their day-to-day life.
Moreover, intricate details of different geometric patterns along with motifs from nature such as trees, animals, birds along with the depiction of life and human experience in two-dimensional figures is its signature style.
Promoting Mithila Art
And all this can be seen in artist SC Suman’s solo painting exhibition ‘Mithila Cosmos: The Cycles of Time', in addition to that his subtle approach to different hues makes his composition masterpiece.
This exhibition is the fifth addition to Suman’s anthology ‘Mithila Cosmos’. Previously, within ‘Mithila Cosmos’, he has done ‘Mithila Cosmos’ in 2007, ‘New Narratives’ in 2011, ‘Circumambulating the Tree Of Life’ in 2013, and ‘Songs Of Innocence And Experience’ in 2019.
Suman is one of the pioneers in Mithila art in Nepal and in his paintings one can see a juxtaposition of contemporary issues with the traditional form, natural colors, and spiritual aesthetics of his land. “I have come a long way as an artist. And even after all these years, my grandmother remains my sole source of inspiration for what I do. I have received no formal training for my art. Almost all of my work is a result of the culture and traditions passed down to me by my family through the generations,” he shared about his inspiration.
In the exhibition, like in his previous exhibitions, there are paintings having a traditional theme. Meanwhile, as the title of the exhibition, he showcases four different ages (Yug)—Satya, Treta, Dvapar, and Kali.
His Mithila painting depicts the cycle of various contexts connected with the religious and social aspects of the story of the age from the true age to the Kali Yuga. His art is based on the story of the goddess who started from creation and entered four eras. By believing in the cycle of origin and destruction according to religious beliefs, the story has been raised in art.
His paintings examine the folk traditions, religion, and culture of the Mithila society as well as the encroachments on Kathmandu and the whole of nature.
Three of his works ‘Lockdown Lessons I’, ‘Lockdown Lessons II’ and ‘COVID Lessons’ are also reflections he’s made during the time of the pandemic. ‘Lockdown Lessons I’, shows people locked inside their houses, their faces covered with masks unable to make contact with the outside world. ‘Lockdown Blues II’, on the other hand, shows the outside—the roads, the buildings, the temples—devoid of any human life, looking haunted. As for ‘COVID Lessons’, it satirizes the import of oxygen cylinders via airplanes while trees—that naturally give out oxygen—are cut (in large numbers) day by day in the name of economic development.
The exhibition that began on December 10 will continue till January 15, 2022 at Siddhartha Art Gallery, Babermahal.
