Bharti Dayal
| Bharti Dayal | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1961 Samastipur, Bihar, India |
| Occupation | Painter |
| Years active | From 1984 |
| Known for | Madhubani (Mithila) paintings |
Bharti Dayal is an artist specialising in Madhubani art. She has played a significant role in the re-emergence and propagation of this art form. She is credited with contemporising the art form through the modern media of acrylic and canvas, and bringing Madhubani art recognition within the world of fine art. A winner of numerous honours and awards, including various state and national awards, Dayal's paintings have been exhibited in the Museum of Sacred Art (MOSA) in Belgium.
Biography
Dayal was born in December 1961 in Samastipur[1] in the Darbhanga district of North Bihar which is the Mithila region famous for Madhubani painting. She had her initial higher education in science and she holds a Master of Science Degree (MSc).[1] Beginning from an young age, she learnt Madhubani painting from her mother and grandmother,[1] which she pursued as her professional activity from 1984, subsequent to her formal education in science. She has striven to bring innovation in the traditional art practised in Mithila, and maintains her art studio in New Delhi. She has taken it upon herself to help other women artists from her region, guiding them to refine their work.[1]
Dayal has held numerous exhibitions of her work nationally and internationally. Her Madhubani art was the subject of a documentary shown on French television in 1995.[1] A show of her works in acrylic on canvas painted between June 2015 and June 2016 was organised by the Museum of Sacred Art (MOSA). Martin Gurvich, Director of MOSA, has observed: "Her mastery of the tradition and her capacity to bring it out in contemporary media like acrylic and canvas have made her an ambassador to the modern world of this ancient art of Mithila. She is in love with both the tradition and its themes".[2]
Dayal's seven Madhubani paintings, which are a combination of traditional art with contemporary modern subjects, are included in the book The New Bihar. Her illustration for the book's cover includes a girl riding a bicycle, symbolizing the "empowerment of women and the quest for education", and a fish, which denotes the theme of "rainbow agriculture", or the blending of agricultural pursuits to enhance rural income. Book authors N.K. Singh and Nicholas Stern have observed: "Bharti's use of the traditional style on contemporary themes can contribute to the revival of Madhubani art".[3]
Artistic style
In her paintings There are undercurrents of "love, longing, and peace" in her renditions of Krishna and Radha.[1]
Dayal has given a contemporary cast to traditional Madhubani art by using modern media such as acrylic and canvas. She paints with natural, vegetable-based colours.[1]
Awards
Dayal is the recipient of many state, AIFACS, Millennium, and National Merit awards. She won India's National Award for excellence in handicrafts in 2006.[1]
Selected bibliography
Works by Dayal
- Madhubani Art. Niyogi Books. 2016. ISBN 9385285084.
Cover art
- Brueck, Laura R. (2014). Writing Resistance: The Rhetorical Imagination of Hindi Dalit Literature. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-16604-4.
- Singh, N. K.; Stern, Nicholas (2013). The New Bihar. HarperCollins Publishers India. ISBN 978-93-5029-642-4.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Artists: Bharti Dayal (b. 1961)". Museum of Sacred Art. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
- ↑ Gurvich, Martin. "Exhibitions:Madhubani Art (Indian Art Series) – Bharti Dayal [June 2015 – June 2016]". Museum of Sacred Art. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
- ↑ Singh & Stern 2013, p. 6.
Bibliography
- Singh, N. K.; Stern, Nicholas (23 August 2013). The New Bihar. HarperCollins Publishers India. ISBN 978-93-5029-642-4.