Sometimes, in this folk art, the bodies of gods are foreshortened and at times distorted. This picture of Ganesha and his mount is abstracted so simply, doing away with the popular stout figure. He is shown sitting cross-legged, holding a lotus- a symbol of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. 'Modak', a sweetmeat, in his other hand represents abundance. The rat, Ganesha's mount is a symbol of the self, which enjoys all pleasures without concerns about vice or virtue, which to a perfect soul, are illusions. Here, in an abstract form, it is seen as an elongated and thin rodent, holding a sprig of wheat in its mouth, symbolizing agricultural prosperity. Everything about this painting has to do with a prosperous and auspicious environment and since emptiness would be tantamount to infecundity, it has been filled up with flowers and leaves on stems drawn in weak, nervous lines, in sharp contrast to the lines of the main figure which are bold and confident. Done up in the most fascinating colors used Madhubani art, it has a simple geometric border encompassing the god.
The two worlds of spirit and matter blend wonderfully well in Madhubani paintings. The wonderful flights of imagination and innovative skills of the artists can be discovered through examination of paintings such as this.
This description by Renu Rana.
References:
Thakur, Upendra. Madhubani Painting. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications.
Jain, Jyotindra. Ganga Devi: Tradition and Expression in Mithila Painting. Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd
Jagannathan, Shakunthala & Krishna, Nanditha. Ganesha The Auspicious The Beginning. Mumbai: Vakils, Feffer & Simons Ltd., 2000.
Karunakaran, Rankorath, The Riddle of Ganesha. Bombay: Book Quest, 1995.
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