The geru style of maithil painting: A brief history (1966-2023)
Author(s): Dr. Neel Rekha
Abstract: The paper presents a brief history of the Geru style of Madhubani Paintings for the period 1966-2023. This style of Maithil paintings became popular in the late 1960s and 1970s but gradually disappeared from Jitwarpur, the village of its origin. Based on ethnographic survey of Jitwarpur and records of paintings from secondary sources, this paper discusses how government patronage and support led to the evolution of six distinctive styles in the villages Jitwarpur and Ranti, of which Geru was one. The paper focuses on the Geru style and describes its themes and characteristics. Drawing mainly from the writings of Pupul Jayakar, the paper shows how this style was one of the earliest surviving traditions of Mithila. It also describes how arrival of western scholars, emergence of celebrity artists and dictates of the market created conditions which caused the extinction of this style. Some developments related to Geru style and my personal efforts in preserving this style are also discussed.
