This story is all about a village girl in India (Bihar) follows her inclinations and becomes an artist, in spite of her upbringing in a very poor family. "I am an artist, but I wasn’t always one." This is how Mithila artist Dulari Devi begins the account of a life that moves from extreme poverty and constant menial labor to that of an accomplished and recognized painter.
Dulari Devi not only found her passion but also finds pleasure in pattern and the images that form in her head while observing village life. Then, she lands the job that will change her life. Hired once again to clean a house, Dulari Devi finds herself employed by an artist, Karpuri Devi. Entranced by the beautiful images that emerge from her employer's hands, Dulari Devi expressing her experience and opinions as traditional religious subjects and also she depicts social
ills like discriminatory health care provision, alcoholism and dowry. Recognizing the joy she finds in creating art, Dulari Devi seeks out mentorship from Karpuri Devi and works hard to learn how to use the tools of a painter.
Her work has grown in popularity since her
artistic career began and she can occasionally sell pieces for as high as Rs. 50,000 (around $800 in the USA). Yet, she is hardly wealthy and still expresses great pride in telling her story to a wider audience.
In an afterward, Devi is described as combined combined community tradition with modern themes and her double-page spread of "Raju Ice Creame Wala"(The Ice Cream man) surrounded by eager children in traditional dress, under a spreading leafy tree with a highly decorated trunk, is the best example of this synthesis. The paintings, based on traditional floor and wall decorations, have been commercialized, but they also provide a way for rural women to make a living. Devi’s story has been put into written form by Wolf, but it is the paintings that stand out here.
Picture courtesy: Google
Detail: Internet
Following My Paint Brush is the true story of her life rendered in the brilliant colors and detailed patterns of the Mithila folk art style. The heroine and illustrator of the book (published in 2010) is Dulari Devi, an artist from the Indian state of Bihar. Gita Wolf, author of Following My Paint Brush, wanted to illustrate Dulari Devi's own tale of artistic awakening. And so the story goes, beginning with a childhood of working in rice fields, selling fish and cleaning the houses of others. She never goes to school, so her life hardly changes as she grows into womanhood. Devi, a woman from the state of Bihar, has illustrated her life story with Mithila folk-art paintings that employ bold patterns of parallel black lines,swirling shapes and intense colors. Unschooled, she is doomed to be a cleaner in someone else's home. when she finds work at an artist's house, her creative yearnings finds an outlet and an artist born.
 |
| Dulari's mother used to sell fishes in the market |
Her work has grown in popularity since her
artistic career began and she can occasionally sell pieces for as high as Rs. 50,000 (around $800 in the USA). Yet, she is hardly wealthy and still expresses great pride in telling her story to a wider audience.
 |
| Dulari as a little girl accompanying her mother to work in the rice fields |
In an afterward, Devi is described as combined combined community tradition with modern themes and her double-page spread of "Raju Ice Creame Wala"(The Ice Cream man) surrounded by eager children in traditional dress, under a spreading leafy tree with a highly decorated trunk, is the best example of this synthesis. The paintings, based on traditional floor and wall decorations, have been commercialized, but they also provide a way for rural women to make a living. Devi’s story has been put into written form by Wolf, but it is the paintings that stand out here.
No comments:
Post a Comment