Baua Devi

Baua Devi is an esteemed Mithila (or Madhubani) painter from Jitwarpur, Bihar. She followed in the footsteps of important early Mithila artists such as Sita Devi and Ganga Devi, who were part of the pioneering shift which transposed the art form from the walls of the domestic space onto paper and canvas. Mithila painters use natural pigments and dyes, applied with brushes, fingers, twigs, matchsticks or nib pens. The paintings reveal striking patterns, incorporating traditional Indian themes and motifs.

Interest in Mithila art began to increase in the 1960s and Baua Devi has become a celebrated painter of this genre. She began this art form as a teenager and went on to win the National Award in 1984 and Padma Shri in 2017. In 1989, her work was shown at the Magiciens de la Terre at Centre Pompidou, Paris, the only female Indian artist to be exhibited at the show.

Baua Devi's exquisite Mithila paintings tell stories of Indian mythology, rendered through a kaleidoscope of intricate patterns and natural color. The present work depicts Surya Bhagwan, the Hindu god of the Sun.