Lippan art: The Kutchi art form Mouli Ganguly explores in her Diwali DIY project

If you follow artists and painters on Instagram, you will find how Lippan art has found quite a prominence on social media. Recently, actress Mouli Ganguly too joined the bandwagon to gift a lippan art to herself, this Diwali.

Mouli Ganguly gifts herself a self-made Lippan art

The Kahiin Kissii Roz actress took to Instagram to share pictures of her creation, a canvas with Lord Ganesha, and other symbols of good omen like lotus, elephant, and such, and the painting is made in a white and gold combination, decorated with glass bits. She wrote, "This Diwali, I gifted myself something from the heart ❤️ I’m not an expert.. but just someone who loves playing with colors and creating with joy. Inspired by the beautiful Kutch Lippan art, I tried making my very first version of it 🫠😬
It’s simple, handmade, and full of love. A small reminder to keep creating and celebrating every little spark 💫🌼 Happy Dhanteras!

What is Lippan Art?

A traditional Gujarati art form, practised especially in the region of Kutch, Lippan art uses mud and mirrors with which artisans create intricate designs on walls and other surfaces. This folk art involves using a mixture of clay and other natural materials to form patterns, which are then decorated with small mirrors. It is said that this art form was traditionally used to decorate rural homes, especially within the circular mud huts called bhungas. The bits and pieces of mirrors, which form the highlight of these paintings, are believed to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck.

What stands out in this art form is raised designs using a mixture of clay and camel dung (traditionally), and embedding small pieces of mirror within the clay. Right now, artists are commonly using the easily available epoxy or air-dry clays to make these raised textures, on various surfaces like wooden panels, MDF boards or even canvas boards.

In the Lippan art form, motifs are often inspired by nature and daily life, including animals like peacocks and camels, floral patterns, geometric shapes, and scenes of women performing daily chores.

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