Today we continue with a review of the representation of pregnancy and lactation in different arts and eras, and it is the turn of a modern representation of the pregnant woman in a hindu style painting.
The illustration is taken from the book “Ganga Devi: Traditions and Expressions in Mithila Painting”, by Jyotindra Jain, which reviews this type of Indian painting, belonging to Madhubani art. It is a typical pictorial style of the Mithila region (the state of Bihar, India).
This style is still used today, with officially recognized artists, although its origins are in Hindu mythology. The detail of the picture we observe is by Ganga Devi (1928-1991), belonging to his series "The Cycle of Life" ('The cycle of life' 1983-85).
The play is titled "Pregnant woman reclining on the ground", 'Pregnant woman reclining on the ground', although I have rotated the image to observe it better.
Fertility elements are seen surrounding the maternal figure (vegetation, fish ...) and the naive representation of the "baby-adult", even with jewelry and clothes, in the mother's womb.
I hope you find this artistic vision of pregnancy interesting, this time by the hand of Hindu art that also paints motherhood with a peculiar style. And if this tradition appeals to you, we remind you that we have also talked about a curious episode of Hindu mythology that recreates how one of its gods was breastfed.
