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Paintings » Indian Paintings » Folk Paintings » Kalighat Paintings
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Kalighat Paintings are a group of paintings, which have their roots in cultural upheavals of 19th century colonial Bengal. Their name comes from the place where the artists originally set up their practice - around the Kalighat temple in Calcutta. Their medium was watercolour on mill-made paper and they were primarily created by the scroll painters-cum-potters who migrated from rural Bengal to the city of Calcutta in the nineteenth century. These paintings have been appreciated as well as neglected over a period of time, their fate being dictated for a greater part of time by popular sentiment rather than their artistic value.
Initially, Kalighat paintings were mainly depictions of Hindu gods and goddesses including their various incarnations. But over a period of time the influences expanded and Kalighat Paintings became a reflection of the society of their time. The artists used this medium to record their impressions of the dynamic social environment they lived in. Calcutta, the capital of British India served as the inspiration for these artists. They turned their satirical gaze towards a changing society, altering lifestyles and industrial progress. A new typology of men and women were created. The Bengali babu and the 'loose woman' epitomised for them the eroding of traditional Indian values.
The Kalighat painting flourished from 1830-1930 and is regarded as the most authentic art form of the period in Calcutta. Earlier, the general term Patuas of Kalighat was being used for the paintings, as these were believed to be influenced heavily by the artwork of the Bengal's village patuas, who had settled in an area called Patuapura near the Kalighat temple. These paintings, which are executed in water-colours, have intense vitality and voluptuous line that gives a unique sensuality of the full-rounded forms to the subject. It has diverse themes ranging from the full iconography of the gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon to the common men and women in day-to-day life in Calcutta. The performing arts like jatra, padavali, swang and kirtan had profound influence on the themes of the Kalighat paintings. |
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