cross art

Originating in the Mithila region of India, Madhubani painting is a traditional style of folk art typically reserved for women. It often celebrates Hindu themes, as well as the harmony between people and nature. Working in the Madhubani style, Vidushini honors Vivah Panchami, a festival that celebrates the wedding of Rama and Sita, star-crossed lovers from the Hindu epic Ramayana. Surrounded by natural designs, Rama and Sita wear regal clothing as they join together in matrimony.

Somber colors in angular patterns cover the canvas in this expressive painting by Sunil Jaiswal, who creates beautiful works of art from India. The profile of two faces can be seen in this painting. According to the artist, "The love shared between a husband and wife is pure," a belief reflected in this striking painting.

Mother nature begins with the tree of life in this World Peace Project painting by India's Bharti Dayal. As Mother Nature sits cross-legged, resembling a heart, she extends her limbs upwards, branching out into a full-grown tree with pink leaves and lotus flower motifs.

The artist explains that the unification of the female form and the tree suggests that femininity is in its essence peaceful. Just as Hinduism advocates the continuous growth of oneself and the pursuit of inner peace, 'Feminine Tree' depicts the figurative source of peace as the self, independent of the surrounding world.

The artist uses natural vegetable colors to depict this symbolic scene of Mother Nature existing within an empty gray domain, sprouting with vibrant pink, directing one's attention to the peaceful heights reached in the feminine universe.

Dayal carefully arranges her composition to tell the story of the tree of life, employing the classic Madhubani painting style. "Madhubani paintings are in fact a simplistic manifestation of the philosophical heights achieved by Indian civilization for the universal power of love, longing and peace -- the quest of all beings," Dayal says.