Upendra maharathi artist

Born in the village of Narendrapur, Puri district, Orissa, Upendra Maharathi was an eminent painter and designer. After finishing his Master’s degree from the School of Art in Calcutta he shifted permanently to Bihar in 1931. Shortly after a span of two years, he was working in a publishing house called Pustak Bhandhar in Laharyasari, Darbhanga, which he left in 1942 to join the Department of Industry as a special designer. Later in the mid-fifties, he founded the Institute of Industrial Design and was awarded the Padmashree in 1969 for his continuous efforts in reviving and developing the arts and crafts of Bihar. An admirer of the folk and traditional forms of art and craft, Maharathi was influenced by the Bengal school’s mannerism of painting, where images had romantically dispersing qualities initiated by Abanindranath Tagore and popularised by Nandalal Bose. Abanindranath Tagore had invited a number of artists and craftsmen with an objective to bring about significant changes in the institutional pedagogy, emphasizing indigenous traditions that Upendra Maharathi took to his advantage. In his earlier works, he painted the dreamy-eyed figures, symmetrical, very lyrical, with a certain influence of iconography from the Ajanta and Bagh frescoes. The artist also became inspire by the Buddhist philosophies which affected his spiritual inner self. He is known to have lived as an ascetic in various Indian Buddhist pilgrimage sites such as Bodhgaya and also had visited Japan i...

Tikuli art is an unique art form from Bihar, which has a very rich and deep traditional history. The word ‘tikuli’ is the local term for ‘bindi’, which is usually a bright, colourful dot that women wear between their brows. In the past, the bindi was created as a symbolic means of worshipping intellect and conserving the modesty of women. However, in today’s time, Tikuli art serves as a source of empowerment for the women of Bihar. A red bindi worn by married women signifies good marriage and virtue. It is an important symbol of Indian culture. Tikuli art originated in Patna over 800 years ago. It deals with beautifully designed paintings which are manufactured in the local streets of the city. With flourishing sales, the tikuli art-form managed to influence traders from across the country to flock to Patna to buy Tikuli art in bulk. The Mughals were active patrons of the art form, and appreciated its many salient features. This is a rare specialty of Bihar, and no such work is found elsewhere. Since it is very intricate and detailed, it requires a special set of skills. Tikuli art is expensive too, as the value of the art is directly proportional to the refinement of the work. In the picture below, it can be easily seen that even though the figures are smallin scale, the artist has not compromised on the details. The intricate craftsmanship made Tikuli art the sole privilege of the royalty. With the decline of the Mughal Empire, and the coming of the British Raj, Tikuli a...

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The newly designed Jaipur House at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi is ready to open its doors after renovation under the aegis of Director General Adwaita Gadanayak. He has decided to debut its new avatar with the works of Upendra Maharathi, the artist, architect, designer, and weaver who cut across all divisions to create works that enchant. Maharathi, who passed away in 1981, was deeply interested in Buddhism and this drove his architectural practice. “I went to his institute in Patna and was fascinated that here was an architect who designed chairs for Buddhist monasteries,” says Gadanayak, who will open the select retrospective of 1,000 works with a series of classical chairs that echo the best in elements of modernism. Photo caption: These chairs incorporate colonial accents and Indian elements along with modernist principles | NGMA, New Delhi Jaipur House @ NGMA, New Delhi: Colonial and Mauryan Accents Maharathi is better known for the Pagodas and Buddhist iconography he designed in places like Japan and India. But each chair at the NGMA, Delhi, is an odyssey to behold. Scholars in design state that chairs reflect changes in technology, materials, and economic and social conditions, but they remain intimately connected to peculiarities of human taste. Photo caption: Maharathi infused soft muted sophistication into his artistry and design Jaipur House @NGMA, New Delhi: Fine Detailing It is the backrests that engage the viewer. There are Indian elements...

Tikuli or Bindi made up of gold and silver foils on solid glass was once a flourishing trade during medieval;l times and Patna, Bihar being the Centre. Due t gradual loss of royal patronage this art almost became extinct. Tikuli Art owes its revival to the famous painter Upendra Maharathi. Originated more than 800 years ago in the Patna District of Bihar. The word ‘Tikuli’ is derived from the word ‘Tikli’ which is a dot like embellishment with glass base and gold foils in a variety of designs used by most of married women for adorning their forehead. The making of Tikuli Involves melting of glass, blowing into a thin sheet and making and adding traced pattern in natural colors. Afterwards it is embellished with gold foils and jewels. In the olden times, Tikulis were mainly used by queen and aristocrat women. Beautiful hand crafted Tikulis were revered as proud possessions of the women. Now a days, the art of Tikuli making has been fused with Madhubani Paintings to make decorative wall plates, coasters, table mats, wall hanging, trays, pen stands and other utility items. This has increased the facets of this art and the scope of creativity for the artists. the fusion has not only created a new charm to the art but has also imparted an economic value to the produce.