Folk Art and Artisans: A Qualitative Study of Basohli Community

Abstract

Folk art is defined as a conventional ornamental, musical, or practical artwork of various cultures or areas. It is generally specific to the human beings of a particular place and used as an expression of society as it expresses cultural identity by conveying shared community values and aesthetics and also reflects traditional art forms of diverse community groups. Folk artisans traditionally learn skills and techniques through apprenticeships in informal community settings. One such folk art is popularly known as Basohli miniature art or Basohli Painting, of a small hill town, Basohli located in Kathua district of Jammu region. The present study is based on the primary as well as secondary data. This study is qualitative and ethnographic in nature, in which the researcher participated in the Basohli community, have done participant observation to study the community’s folk culture along with some face-to-face interviews, narratives inquiries and in-depth case studies of the artisans, experts and some students who are engaged in this art form. The study seeks to investigate the socio-cultural settings of modern India during which period these paintings took cultural roots and manifested cultural expressions. The objectives of the present study are to explore the efforts that have been made by the local artisans to re-invent or revive this art in contemporary times and with what purpose and the challenges or hardships they are facing in promoting this art form. The study also tries to highlight the local, national and global popularity of the Painting and their overall cultural impact.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.46700/asssr/2024/v6/i1/J2404