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Source-This post on Subika painting has been created based on the article “Manipur’s age-old Subika paintings and an assistant professor’s struggle to save the art form” published in “The Indian Express” on 31 January 2024.
Why in the news?
Invaluable art forms of Manipur are on the brink of extinction due to neglect.
About Subika painting
| Aspect | Details |
| Type | It is an early visual art form of Manipur. |
| Community | It is a style of painting which is linked to the Meitei community’s cultural history. |
| Manuscript | It is surviving through its six manuscripts — Subika, Subika Achouba, Subika Laishaba, Subika Choudit, Subika Cheithil and Thengrakhel Subika. |
| Origin | The royal chronicle, Cheitharol Kumbaba, doesn’t mention a specific founder. However, experts estimate the use of Subika paintings since the 18th or 19th century. |
| Key points | 1) It is a composition of cultural motifs made by pre-existing features and other influences encouraged by cultural world-views of the community. 2) The illustrations of Subika Laishaba have visual language from the elements such as lines, shapes, forms, colours, and patterns. 3) These visual images become Meitei’s cultural motif, and structure to create visual effects as well as express cultural significance. 4) The visual images are painted on handmade paper. 5) The materials of manuscripts are prepared indigenously, either handmade paper or barks of trees. |
UPSC Syllabus-Art & culture.
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