Ganesha is depicted here with the body of a man and the head of an elephant, having only one tusk. His unique feature, besides the elephant head, is the large belly practically falling over his lower garment. On his chest, across his left shoulder, is his sacred thread in the form of a snake. The vehicle of Ganesha is the mouse seen here paying obeisance to his lord.
According to the strict rules of Hindu iconography, Ganesha figures with only two hands are taboo. Hence, Ganesha figures are most commonly seen with four hands which signify their divinity.
His pot belly signifies the bounty of nature and also that Ganesha swallows the sorrows of the Universe and protects the world.
Ganesha's large head is symbolic of the wisdom of the elephant. His large ears, like the winnow, sift the bad from the good. Although they hear everything, they retain only that which is good; they are attentive to all requests made by the devotees, be they humble or powerful.
The little mouse whom Ganesha is supposed to ride upon is another enigmatic feature in his iconography. At a first glance it seems strange that the lord of wisdom has been granted a humble obsequious mouse quite incapable of lifting the bulging belly and massive head that he possesses. But it implies that wisdom is an attribute of ugly conglomeration of factors and further that the wise do not find anything in the world disproportionate or ugly.
Broadly speaking folk art may be defined as the art created among groups that exist within the framework of existing society, but for geographical and cultural reasons, are largely separated from the sophisticated developments of their time. As a result, they produce distinctive styles and objects for local needs and tastes. The output of such art represents a unique complex of primitive impulses and traditional survivals. It is an art motivated by not only utilitarian and ritualistic features but also by individual and recreational impulses.
Hindu women who live in villages near the market town of Madhubani in northern India maintain old traditions and teach them to their daughters. Painting is one of the traditional skills that is passed down from generation to generation in the families of some of the women. They paint figures from nature and myth on household and village walls to mark the seasonal festivals of the religious year, for special events of the life-cycle, and when marriages are being arranged they prepare intricately designed wedding proposals. The artist many a times are simple housewives, who have never been to any school to learn the art of painting. Hence the spontaneity in their art.
The painters do not seek to place objects or figures in a natural relation to each other. The figures float in a tranquil aqurium or fragile angels aginst an aery background, creating an aura of fantastic strangeness.
It is the colors that create the mood, determine the pulse and tempo, divide the space and provide the background.
The artist starts with a rigorously selected subject-matter, without any attempt to transpose a literal scene or create a photographic semblance of an ordinary situation. Simplification leads to added intensity. The aim is towards a general radiance.
The paper itself is handmade and treated with cowdung and the colours used are extracted from vegetables. People of Madhubani have their own language and a sense of regional identity that goes back more than 2500 years. Among the most celebrated figures believed to have been born in the region are Mahavira (a great spiritual hero of the Jain religion), Siddhartha Gautama (better known to the world as the Buddha), and Sita (the legendary wife of Prince Rama and herself a central figure in the world's epic the Ramayana).
Unique features of this artwork are the stylistically treated eyes and the decorated trunk of Ganesha.
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