Bhil Course
Description
Course Curriculum
Artist Introduction
Know the artist's journey
Lado bai began painting at the age of 12 to make ends meet while working at Bharat Bhavan. Initially, her artwork featured the sun, moon, deer, Pithora baba, snakes, and Mother Earth, using materials like cow dung, coloured soil, and boiled rice for colour. Over time, she overcame her fear of vehicles and now confidently travels to metropolitan cities such as Mumbai, Bangalore, and Delhi to showcase her art.
Bhil Artist's origin and basics
Her grandmother used to paint these figures during Diwali, and under her guidance, she learned the basics of Bhil Art at the age of 8. She mastered painting figures like peacocks and cows using colours extracted from coloured soil and cow dung. Her first painting at Bharat Bhavan depicted a cow. Initially, she was accustomed to wear lugda, a traditional tribal garment, but she now opts for sarees. She began by painting on cloth and later transitioned to canvas. Hailing from the village of Badi Bavadi, her artwork often reflects how people walk or find shelter during the monsoon season and festivities of Diwali. While earlier works used natural pigments, she now employs acrylic colours.
Religious understanding and culture
She frequently paints tigers, deer, and cats. During Diwali, she paints a lizard near incense sticks, as it is believed that painting a lizard brings prosperity to a home. She prefers to first draw a cow and a calf, followed by a woman milking the cow, trees, and parrots. If the scene is indoors, a lizard is added; if outdoors, a peacock is depicted. Her work is inspired by folklore about dancing peacocks, rain, and birds. For Bhil weddings, there is a tradition of painting a Bharadi. The village chief starts with a dot, and as the wedding rituals proceed, the painting is enhanced with continuation of dots, along with paintings of a peacock and a peahen
Materials Required
colour
Quantity: 1
Meet the Maestro
Lado Bai
"Lado Bai's experience of nearly 53 years is illuminated with various achievements and national and international level exhibition participation such as those in France and the UK. In 1996, she was honoured with the Lok Rang Fellowship Award from the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust. In 2017, Bai was one of the recipients of The Ojas Art Award in the Master Artist category. presented by Ojas Art Gallery at the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF). Presently, she works with the Adivasi Lok Kala Academy."
