Rani Jha

Rani Jha, a distinguished Madhubani artist and scholar, holds a PhD on the Contribution of Women in Mithila Painting and Literature from LNMU Darbhanga (2010). Rooted in ancient ritual and tradition, Rani Jha’s artistic strength lies in her ability to express profound social issues with depth, particularly those close to her heart, focusing on women's themes. Rani Jha teaches at the Mithila Chitrakala Sansthan, Saurath in Madhubani, Bihar.

"The history of Madhubani Painting begins in ancient times. The paintings discovered on mud walls after the 1934 earthquake were merely a glimpse of a centuries-old painting tradition ingrained in the ethos of Mithila. It was a coincidence that the devastating earthquake brought this tradition to the world's attention, and during the famine of the 1970s, this 'art' gradually found its way into the art market.

From 1960 to 2000 AD, Madhubani Painting largely retained its traditional form. However, within these forty years, some artists introduced slight changes in their themes using the 'Kachni' style. Prominent among them were Padma Shri Ganga Devi, Padma Shri Godavari Dutt, and Smt. Lalita Devi. Ganga Devi, for instance, depicted scenes from her travels to Japan in her art.

Godavari Dutt took a chance from traditional paintings and made extraordinary experiments, such as drawing an innovative design of a single trident in the ‘Kachni’ style. Traditionally, artists depicted Shiva with a trident (Ek Trishul), but no one had presented just a trident as a standalone subject before. Godavari Dutt's experiments included depictions of Sudarshan, Dhanush, and Basuki Nag, all of which can be seen in the Mithila Museum in Japan.

In 2003, American anthropologist and art’s research scholar Raymond Owens' colleague, David Szanton of the Ethnic Art Foundation in New Jersey, founded the Mithila Art Institute on Mahila College Road in Madhubani. This institute, established by Dr. Parmeshwar Narayan Jha and his wife Mrs. Vibha Jha, prepared a new generation of artists. Here, traditional paintings were created alongside those addressing contemporary subjects. A new style of Mithila painting emerged, which was well-received in the international art market. While efforts were made to maintain the basic style of these paintings, the subjects were updated, balancing traditional gestures and postures with new themes.

It's important to note that if the early history of Madhubani painting reflects its spiritual essence, the modern history is intertwined with its commercialization. Originally, women made these paintings for spiritual fulfillment and self-satisfaction. With commercialization, financial aspects have become intertwined with the art, which is a positive development. Change is eternal, and I agree that paintings must evolve. However, I am aware that this evolution sometimes leads the art towards fine art, diverging from its traditional roots." Rani Jha.