Rajasthan is one of the world’s most beautiful locations. The Province is well- known for it’s delicious food, magnificent architectural style, and magnificent dunes that line it’s vast deserts. Rajasthan’s artwork has evolved in the spotlight of it’s rich culture and tradition.

Usually, this differs in it’s artistic forms. The art of the state is acknowledged. Mandana Painting, on the other hand, is a form of art from Rajsthan. Mandana Painting is indeed a popular decorative tribal masterpiece that has lately gained attention. Mandana Paintings could be found all over India. These paintings are displayed on walls and floors. Mandana’s first artists came from the Meena tribal group towns.

Background of Mandana Paintings

Mandana relates to ‘drawing’ in the sense of Chitra Mandana or ‘trying to draw a picture in the local language. Mandana originates from the word Mandan, which also means “adornment and decoration.” Traditionally, they have been used as ornaments for special or celebratory events by females of the Meena society for hundreds of years.

These occasions included family and community religious worship, cultural events, and, exciting days in society’s life, including marriage or birth. Because they were created for spiritual reasons, the images usually depicted the festival’s primary god. This served two functions at the same time. Through the artwork, the festival’s god is invoked. The images also served as a symbol of the Goddess or God.

History

Mandana paintings date back to 500 BCE. The resemblances between Mandana art creations and Vastu purasha designs lend credence to this concept. The primary beliefs behind Mandana Paintings and paintings on the floors and walls are also to invite deities into the home and keep forces of evil at bay. Mandana means ‘to draw’, the language in which the Marwari language evolved. Mandana may also be derived from the term Mandan, which means to decorate or make something gorgeous in Gujjar Bhakha.

Making of this Art Work

Creating Mandana paintings is just an art form in and of itself. It incorporates its people’s cultures and traditions into a simple, yet appealing painting. The sand and the combination of water and cow manure signal the beginning of the procedure as it plasters the set framework pattern. The painting techniques are a brush manufactured of twigs, cloth, and a small amount of bird hair.

The shades used are white and red because they are the only ones that are readily available in the region. Red and white shades are derived from brick and chalk. The majority of Mandana paintings are created by the women of the house. This is due to traditionally; women were in charge of taking care of their homes and their families. Mandana is painted on special occasions and blessed days.

It is a sign of the existence of good and a deterrent to evil. Diwali is a particularly important occasion for creating new Mandana paintings. After the house has been cleaned properly, this adds value to it. Mandana painters frequently use public spaces to celebrate their tribe’s and people’s culture and art.

Style and Variety

The initial and most obvious distinction between Mandana paintings is their location; whereas in Rajasthan they are decorated on both walls and the floor, artists in Madhya Pradesh generally limit themselves to the floor. A Mandana’s typical themes are natural elements such as different types of plants and plants. Other prominent symbolism in this form of art includes gods or others who appear to have taken the shape of an animal, as well as living beings, as illustrated in the earliest examples of wall art.

Motifs

Some other varieties of Mandanas have been noted by an expert, particularly about motifs influenced by architectural style, particularly the Tapki Ke Mandanas. This type employs several points plotted in a particular manner to correctly mimic a graph, actually resulting in 2-D geometrical shapes such as squares, rhombuses, rectangles, and triangles. Some other popular pattern in this sub-type is the lattice screen or Jaali, which was influenced by the Jaali found in Indian architecture.

Inspiration Sources

The Mandana paintings’ models are quite simple, even basic. The simple intricate designs set them apart as an appealing art form. Most sought-after models in these works of art are based on cultural deities, Vedic yajna altars, trees, living creatures, and birds that are regarded as auspicious, mainly peacocks. The architecture influences the style of Mandana paintings. The Mandanas were inspired by Jaali screen designs added to the samples in their architecture.

Innovations

Meena females have been writing Mandanas about their experiences for many years. As a result, they had also evolved from solely displaying the aforementioned motifs to a mash-up of social experiences. Although the paintings contain a beautifully illustrated peacock in all its greatness, the overall objective is to express their expertise with the peacock rather than simply the bird itself.

Farm equipment, bullock carts, motorbikes, and buses are examples of modern designs inspired by modern life. Among all of the themes used in Mandana paintings, the bird (peacock) is their specialty, and it is drawn in a variety of unique yet lovely ways.

Numerous professional artists have taken up Mandana art and translated it into painting. Mandana motifs are frequently used in the establishment of rangoli because both serve the purpose of warding off evil and welcoming the symbol of good luck into the home.

Mandana art was traditionally performed after the house had been thoroughly cleaned during Navratri and Diwali. Mandana will become a grand affair during festival season when women from the society come together just to paint Mandanas in public places.

A Dying Art

Mandana art is probably going to die, and artists are discovering relatively fewer jobs even within towns, as the percentage of concrete houses increases, and concrete is not conducive to these paintings, as it can only be established on clay wall surfaces, and there are fewer adopters of the paintings as it is. There are numerous reasons to preserve this art. Its establishment includes two characteristics that are rarely found in most modern arts: clarity and beauty.

Then, the use of natural materials demonstrates how eco-friendly and affordable. It also serves as a traditional source of employment for females in a community and country where female employment has historically been discouraged. The style of the work itself has a feminine feel to it. There aren’t many warrior men they appear to work, for example, and motifs like peacocks and flowers are far more appealing to women.

And the works of art, no matter how simple, always contain a piece of the artist’s soul. A portion of the artist’s life – and the lifestyles of previous artists who did the same work – is enclosed in those projects, telling us about their experiences and lives.

Mandana Painting Artist

Mandana paintings, as with most traditional arts, have been disappearing because of a lack of survival. Vidya Soni, an artist from Rajasthan, who has been trying to practice this art since the age of eleven, is one best artist who keep this form of art alive.

After hearing about a pregnant elephant being brutally murdered in Kerala, she created a heartbreakingly beautiful painting of one. It portrays an elephant and a baby in its womb as she attempts to depict the suffering and agony in her artwork. As a result, Mandana has decorative characteristics, but her work is frequently influenced by real-life stories that powerfully move her as well.

New Platforms

More artists are being influenced by Mandana art and expressing themselves through the centuries-long dialect of expression established by Mandana artists. Textiles are another area where it is gaining a foothold. Designs and artworks are becoming increasingly fashionable, creating a new niche for Mandana art to thrive.

Conclusion

Even though Mandana paintings are simple, they must be drawn excellently the first time. There is no way to erase it and start over. This artist’s work is not taught or passed from one generation to the next. Girls must learn it by themselves through the efforts of their moms and other female seniors.

Artistic work is gradually losing its dominant position in the world of art as a result of western values. Sawai Madhopur and Tonk, two villages in Rajasthan, are some of the few that still prominently display Mandana art. Many people still use these various tribes’ forms in their homes, ornaments, and clothing for their original purpose of improving their appearance.

Mandanas are used in traditional clothing, as well as jewelry and architecture. Mandana art is being brought to life by artists from around the world through their paintings on canvas. All of this has not restored the importance of these paintings in the villages where they originated. 

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