Design: Folk Art Linoleum Prints

The Design Class is participating in an art exchange with Green Farms Academy in Connecticut. For the exchange, the students researched folk art from their own cultures, or cultures they have been influenced by. They created editions of four linoleum prints; three will be sent to Connecticut. 

Abhishek M, Grade 10

The folk art I chose was Maharashtran. The symbol was of an elephant, specifically the hindu god Gansesha. Ganesha is popular in Maharashtra because of the religious celebration of Ganesh Chuturthi, the birthday of the lord Ganesha. This celebration is especially important to the locals of Maharashtra because of their closeness and appreciation of the lord Ganesha. As you can see, his body is in the form of a human’s body, because only his head is supposed to be shaped like an elephant’s head. This is because Ganesha’s father Shiva accidentally cut of Ganesha’s head and promised to put on the first head he found. The markings on his forehead symbolize his holiness. The symbol is a “tikka”, which is a material that is applied on the forehead of a king during their coronation.

Amber K, Grade 10

The Bear and swirls are two signs taken from Navajo folk art. The bear and the swirls are two symbols that represent strength and power to the people who belong to Native America. This piece of art was taken from California, and I chose it because I live in the Bay Area. I have seen many Native Americans in California, as well as in the Grand Canyon region. The Navajo people really fascinate me, I love their art, culture and traditions I find then to be very special. Anything that is made by a Navajo artist catches my eye immediately; I play the Navajo flute as well which increases my fascination for them. Therefore I wanted to make a design based on the Native American culture; I found many interesting pictures and symbols however this stood out to me the most. I think I liked this best because I like the fact it displays strength and power, I wish others can enjoy finding the unique style in this as much as I do.

Ayushman K, Grade 12

My lino-cut art work is from Northern India, from the Gharwal region of Uttarakhand.  It has traditionally been used to decorate doorstep of our houses during important festival. It is basically a form of rangoli, but instead of being made of coloured sand it is made with curd mixed with sugar. The centre points of the art work are the 2 feet in the middle. They represent that Laxmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity, will bring herself inside our homes and bless us.

Phuriwat C, Grade 10

This print illustrates the traditional art of Thailand and Buddhism. In this print is one of the most well-known Hindu/Buddhist God, Ganesh, who has human-like body and elephant-like head. This is one of the versions of the God; this version, he has six arms and each holds different objects: an axe, a hammer, a tri-blade knife, a Harvesting Knife, a rope, and a lotus. Each item represents different things in Thai culture; for example, the hammer represents building, the blade represents fighting, and lotus represents peace and nature.

Harshit A, Grade 11

Rangoli is a design used to depict color and joy. It has a lot of floral designs and various textures which make it look more attractive. It is built by every Indian family in front of their house during special occasions with color powder, sand and even flower petals. It is a traditional fork art of India. They are meant to act as invitations to the Indian Gods to come visit the house in front of which they are built and bless the residents. The custom of building rangoli has been going on in India for a very long time. It is also expected to bring good luck to the people who build it. It originated in the ancient Mohen-jo-daro and Harappan civilization. It has a lot of traditional and cultural beliefs attached to it and is an integral part of the Indian culture.

Ishaan B, Grade 12

This piece of art mainly concentrates on Hinduism and as I am from central India this pantheistic religion is practiced among most of the people. In the artwork there are these gates on the background just behind the snakes which have point of view of reincarnation and moksha. To get out of the gates means that one has attained Moksha and is free from reincarnating and giving themselves to the nature. On the other hand there are these snakes which Lord Shiva has with him when he sits and meditates. Lord Shiva is also known as the “destroyer” therefore stopping a person from getting Moksha. The “Sun,” which in Hinduism is the creator of all carries out the sign of “Om.” Finally the dove is a multicultural element in the piece bringing in Christianity and Dove meaning “Peace” in the religion.

Jesal P, Grade 10

My prints were based on Madhubani Art, which is from the Mithila region of Bihar. Women around villages of Madhuban create Madhubani art. Madhubani art is mainly composed of flowers, leaves, women, cows, and other things that are seen around in the madhubani villages. My print incorporated a woman. The woman has large eyes, which makes her face look very out of proportion, but that is a significant aspect of madhubani art. The women in madhubani art usually have large eyes, and are dressed in indian costumes. The literal translation of madhubani is forests of honey. Usually Madhubani art works are very colorful, but since we were limited to black ink, my prints do not consist of any color but black.

Jonathan K, Grade 10

No statement.

Diezesinuo T, Grade 12

This piece called Nagaland represents the state in India where I am originally from. Located on the North-east part of India, Nagaland is a place full of rich cultures. The bird is supposed to be a Hornbill which represents the national bird of Nagaland. It symbolizes purity and freedom. Hornbills are brightly colored and they are a very diverse species and in the same way Nagaland culture is also composed of a variety of 16 tribes. Of the 16 tribes, my art represents two of the tribes belonging to my parents, Angami and Changki. The spear is of my father’s tribe, Angami. The spear is symbolizes the status of the men. The more stripes there are, the higher the status. The swirls which are part of the bird and the criss-cross designs down in the bottom represent my mother’s tribe, Angami. These designs, taken from traditional clothes, represent the status of the women’s husband.  They weave their clothes and designs according to their status and the village they belong to.

Mansi K, Grade 10

This design comes from the Indian state of Rajasthan. Rajasthani culture is filled with colors and patterns. While portraying animals the artists have always used floral designs to enhance the beauty of the art work. The bird in this picture is waiting for a companion and therefore has been named solitary. This series of prints have truly been inspired by the Rajasthani culture as the bird’s wings would not be portrayed as leaves in any other part of the world. Printmaking is a big part of Rajasthani tradition, though it is mainly done on cloth using wooden plates. Rajasthani prints have become world famous. People wearing the traditional Indian prints can be spotted all around the world. Thus artists all over the world have adapted these traditional patterns into contemporary art works. Rajasthani artists’ unique way of combining floral patterns with animals will remain evergreen and will continue to inspire several new artists. 

Martin S, Grade 11

The Title of the print is Dragen Fra Hopperstad Møter Vikingskiped Fra Begby, Østfold which is Norwegian for “The dragon from Hopperstad meets the viking-ship from Begby, Ostfold (the underlined words are actual places). The dragon is actually a tiny decorative statue located in a rather ‘clever’ place somewhere in “Hopperstad Stavkirke” which is a really old Stave Church in Norway. The viking-ship is actually a painting on a boulder in Ostold, Norway, the painting was made by early settlers a long ago. The whole reason as to why this print is so fabulous is the fact that two completely separate, yet, original pieces of art, become alive. Why is this print so EXTREMELY special? Well, dragons and viking-ships are not usually included in the same piece of art (in Norway that is, I don’t know about anywhere else), at least from what i’ve seen so far.

Pallavi M, Grade 12

India is a religious country with lots of meaningful signs and symbols to which people relate. “Om” is a chant that originated in India, but now has become well known world-wide. In the print, Om curves around the figure of Lord Ganesha, son of Lord Shiva (who is believed to be the destroyer of the world). A ‘Trishul’ (literally – three forked) goes through the Om. Trishul is Shiva’s weapon, and represents the end of all evil. Also, a swastika is enclosed in ‘Om’. Swastika is assumed by many to be same as the Nazi symbol; however, Swastika has been a part of the Indian culture since before the Nazis even came into being. In India, the swastika is seen as a holy symbol, and is often engraved or drawn in front of homes so as to invite the Gods, and be showered with good luck. All these symbols together represent the Indian culture as a whole.

Sang Hyeok P, Grade 12

This print “Korea” is a mixture of three different Korean folk and traditional arts focusing on the tradition and culture of Korea. The tiger, located in the center, is a type of folk art. Since the tiger has been associated with Korean foundation mythology and Korean culture, I located in the center of print in order to point out its significance to Korea. The two dolls in each side represent Korean traditional wedding clothing. The screen containing these three pictures is a traditional screen. It is often filled with the pictures of flowers, but to show the combination of different types of art, the pictures of the tiger and the dolls are added. Ultimately this print is called “Korea” because it coveys culture and tradition of Korea.

Swati K, Grade 12

This design is taken from 'Gujarati' animal contributions. 

A little bit about Gujarat: It is an Indian state that lies in Western India and this place is basically prone to hazardous earthquakes,  despite this fact, it is rich in its exotic culture and is also known for its textile business, for which this design was possibly created. 

Yohan C, Grade 12

My print is taken from design from the Warli tribe art. The Warli are tribes that live in the state of Maharashtra in India. They are known for very basic and simple art that usually depicts village life. Their paintings are usually done on walls. In my print I chose the theme of music and depicted it using their style. Music is a big part in my life and something I really enjoy and I feel it is a gift for all.