OVERVIEW

Mithila Painting: Folk Art of India
Unit Contents
Overview: Students will learn about the traditions and characteristics of an ancient folk art practiced in rural India. They will analyze how these traditions are evolving in response to international and economic influences. Students will create a product (artwork and brochure) using the stylistic conventions of Mithila artists.
Subject Areas: Art and History
Grade Level: Secondary
Duration: Three weeks
Rationale: A necessary skill for the 21st Century is that students understand and make connections with cultures vastly different than their own. Students will learn about traditions of ritual painting that have survived for more than two thousand years in rural areas of North India. They will learn that India's great Hindu epic, The Ramayana, is celebrated in paintings in the village where the story originated. Students will gain an appreciation for the impressive artistic skills of unschooled, internationally recognized village artists and see how these artists are responding to modern conflicts that confront their changing society. By creating brochures and painting in the Mithila style, students will explore the discipline of art historian or curator and recognize the strikingly creative use of elements and principles of design. By developing their personal iconography in the design of brochures for an exhibit of their paintings, students will share with Mithila artists the satisfaction of documenting personally significant life experiences in their art.
Essential Questions:

What are the characteristics of Mithila painting?

  • How are these paintings made? Who makes them?
  • What is the role of art in village life?
  • How do the elements and principles of design affect your analysis of Mithila paintings?
  • Is Mithila painting "art" or "folk art?" Does it matter?
  • How are village artists becoming more "modern"?
  • Are modern-day issues causing the art to become more"Western"?
  • How are market forces affecting village painters?
Integration: This unit coordinates with 9th grade World Cultures/Literature course, because part of the important Hindu epic, The Ramayana, is situated in the village renowned for this style of art. Mithila is the traditional birthplace of Sita, the beautiful daughter of King Janaka and heroine of the epic. This is where Lord Rama won Sita's hand in marriage when he strung the bow of Shiva, thereby triumphing over all the other suitors. With modification, the unit integrates with sixth grade social studies/language arts if reading the The Ramayana. The epic continues to play an important cultural, religious and political role in contemporary India.
UNIT OUTLINE

I. Art Appreciation | Visual Literacy: Students will learn about artistic traditions of Mithila painting.

A. Students locate the area of Madhubhani on a map of India.
B. Students view film Munni ("Little Girl")
C. Students work in pairs to examine Mithila paintings
D. Students identify objects from nature used as decorative icons.
E. Students examine paintings to decipher stylized objects
F. Students summarize characteristics of Mithila paintings

II. Art History: Students will learn about historical and cultural traditions of Mithila art.

A. Students recognize characteristic colors and stylistic conventions

1. Brahmin caste
2. Kayastha caste
3. Dusadh caste.

B. Students recognize scenes of the Ramayana shown in paintings.

C. Students compare and contrast scenes as painted by three castes.

III. Connecting Past and Present: Students will recognize ways that village painters in India are being influenced by international forces, both economic and societal.

A. Students view and respond to recent Mithila paintings that depict contemporary social and political issues.
B. Students discuss effects of the market economy on rural painters.
C. Students analyze ways that recent Mithila paintings do not conform to traditional caste norms.
D. Students recognize modern trends in contemporary Mithila painting..

IV. Art Practice: Students will create works of art that show experiences common to all children using Mithila conventions.

A. Students discuss common childhood experiences of any culture.
B. Students brainstorm list of such experiences.
C. Students prioritize the topics to create a theme for a class exhibition.
D. Students review the characteristics of Mithila painting.
E. Each student paints a scene from his/her childhood in Mithila style.

V. Optional Extension: Students will organize an exhibition and create educational materials

A. Students organize an exhibit of class-created, Mithila-style paintings.
B. Students create one of the following:

1. advertisement/poster for show
2. educational material for wall display
3. webpage background material
4. graphic-designed flyers

C. Students critique the works of their classmates in a positive way

D. Students produce an exhibition of Mithila painting for school community.
UNIT CONTENTS

UNIT CONTENTS

 What is this unit?
Lesson 1:Visual Literacy
Lesson 2: Art History
Lesson 3: Social History
Lesson 4: Art Practice
Lesson 5: An Exhibition