The artistes were villagers who travelled from place to place with their scroll paintings and sang the scenes from the epics depicted in the paintings during village gatherings and festivals. Kalighat temple was considered the main centre around which the traditional artists called ‘the pataus’ or ‘painters of cloth’ concentrated. Oriental Style - The word ‘oriental ’ literally means something belonging to Asia and thus being true to its meaning, this style of painting derives its ideas and themes from religious and mythological tales of the Indian culture. These paintings were done on cloth or patas. From the depiction of Hindu gods, god, and other mythological characters, the Kalighat paintings developed to reflect a variety of themes. The Calcutta School of Art was one such school and attracted traditional artists–the patuas—to the city. He died in Kolkata at the height of his career at 56 years of age. Popularly known as "Davidbabu", in his short life, he made a major contribution to the study of Hindu terracotta and brick temples of Bengal and was also one of the first scholars to write a study of the emerging field of Indian writing in English. The Oriental school of Kalighat paintings predominantly features religious figureheads such as Rama, Sita, Durga, Lakshmi, etc. It is unique blends of oriental and occidental style of painting. Script error: The function "getCommonsLink" does not exist. Due to this, there are two types of Kalighatpaintings that one can witness, Oriental and Occidental. An important achievement of the Kalighat artists was that they made simple paintings and drawings, which could easily be reproduced by lithography. Following his appointment to the painting department in 1951, he proceeded to define the school's character by imbuing it with the vision of his former teacher Binode Bihari Mukherjee, a pioneer of modern art in India.. During its manifestation, in the earlier days, it was a community effort. It is believed that most Patuas are actually converts from Hinduism to Islam. Gradually, they have started to learn from the newer techniques and discovered that these could help them increase their earnings. Meanwhile, the British, having established themselves in the country politically started to evince interest in art, literature, and music. Kalighat painting is perhaps one of the best primary sources to reconstruct the social history of the19th Century ‘Babu culture’ which flourished in Calcutta. Such prints were then hand coloured. The Kalighat painters were very much outsiders, and their popular art style was one of the first instances where anyone called visual attention to the deteriorating effects of British presence on traditional Indian culture. Kalighat Painting originated in the vicinity of Kalighat Kali Temple, Kalighat (Kolkata, India) in 19 th century. Kalighat painting or Kalighat Pat originated in the 19th century Bengal, in the vicinity of Kalighat Kali Temple, Kalighat, Kolkata, India, and from being items of souvenir taken by the visitors to the Kali temple, the paintings over a period of time developed as a distinct school of Indian painting. Kalighat’s paintings were developed in the 19th century around the Kali temple, Kalighat, in Calcutta. The Bengali people are its dominant ethnolinguistic tribe. But the Kalighat artists did not restrict themselves to religious themes. Kalighat paintings reached its zenith between 1850 and 1890 with representations of varied styles, compositions, and colours. The family members or the community members, would sit together and ground the ingredients to make the dyes, colors and some would draw the outlines of the main figures in the painting and while others would … Therefore emerged two different styles of the Kalighat painting, the Oriental, and the Occidental. The main distinguishing facet of the Kalighat paintings is the motifs used in them. Some Patuas are Hindus, while others are Muslims. The Occidental school produced paintings that depicted social and political situations brewing in the 19th century- scenes of crimes, women or men feeding their pet cats, birds, and animals, men traveling by elephants, … A novel programme required formidable leadership and teachers with pedagogical values. From the depiction of Hindu gods, god, and other mythological characters, the Kalighat paintings developed to reflect a variety of subjects, including many depictions of everyday life. Manishi Dey was an Indian painter of the Bengal School of Art. The artists played an important role in the Independence movement through the depiction of secular themes and personalities in their paintings. Indian court painting, 16th-19th century. Kalighat paintings flourished during the British raj in India and are a harmonic balance of the artistic ideas between oriental themes and occidental techniques. The artists also portrayed themes like Sita-Rama, Radha-Krishna and the exploits of Hanuman. These paintings were done on cloth or patas. They may have also been Buddhist at various points in time. Kalighat painting or Kalighat Pat originated in the 19th century in West Bengal, India, in the vicinity of Kalighat Kali Temple, Kalighat, Calcutta, India, and from being items of souvenir taken by the visitors to the Kali temple, the paintings over a period of time developed as a distinct school of Indian painting. Pattachitra is one of the ancient artworks of Odisha, originally created for ritual use and as souvenirs for pilgrims to Puri, as well as other temples in Odisha. From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core. Oriental style portrays the Indian deities, Hindu Gods and Goddesses, mythological characters and scenes from different epics while Occidental style depicts the everyday life, social evils, crimes, and freedom struggle etc. Due to this exceptional combination, it gained steady acknowledgment. These style of paintings depicted contemporary society usually under satirical scrutiny. Kalighat Paintings: The Story of their Origin When the British invaded India they were fascinated by the literary and artistic culture of the country. Even contemporary events like crime were the subject of many paintings. This page was last modified on 24 May 2016, at 10:21. Mukul Chandra Dey was one of five children of Purnashashi Devi and Kula Chandra Dey. Kalighat Paintings can be divided into two different styles - Oriental style and Occidental style, based particularly on the varied motifs and themes that are being used in both types. The artists also chose to portray secular themes and personalities and in the process played a role in the Independence movement. Shop unique custom made Canvas Prints, Framed Prints, Posters, Tapestries, and more. The charm of the Kalighat paintings lies in the fact that they captured the essence of daily life and they influence modern artistes like the late Jamini Roy even to this day. Specialties of Kalighat Paintings include clarity of motifs, seamless brushwork, and elaborate use of earthy-Indian hues. High-quality Occidental Wall Art designed and sold by artists. Painted mostly on inexpensive mill-made paper or cloth with swift brushstrokes and homemade dyes, traditional Kalighat paintings originated in the 19th century. The other more contemporary style of Kalighat paintings are the Occidental variety that feature secular and civil themes like crime, women bathing, the evolving role of men and women in the society since the emphasis on women’s education, the hypocritical lives of the quasi-bourgeois, depictions of the freedom struggle, heroes of the struggle including Rani Lakshmi Bai, a girl playing the sitar and other themes … Popularly known as 'Aban Thakur', his books Rajkahini, Budo Angla, Nalak, and Khirer Putul were landmarks in Bengali language children's literature and art. Their paintings depicting different professions and costumes were also popular with tourists. The style is characterized by broad sweeping brush lines, bold colours, and simplification of forms suitable for their mass production.. In these mocking pieces, the austerity of Kalighat paintings is wedded to the simplicity of Japanese prints. The city name Calcutta is derived from word Kalighat. Kalighat painting emerged in the 19th century of Calcutta, West Bengal, India in the vicinity of Kalighat Kali temple. They started creating new forms of art and the Kalighat painting was born. They depicted conventional images of gods and goddesses and scenes from epics like Tulsidas’ Rama Charita Manas. 2. Unreliable citations may be challenged or deleted. Jamini Roy was an Indian painter. Their paintings depicting different professions and costumes were also popular with the tourists. Bengal was considered to be the richest part of Islamic medieval India and during the era of the Bengal Sultanate it was described to be a world major trading nation, while during Mughal times, having triggered the proto-industrialization, its economy was worth 12% of global GDP. Occidental is an international auxiliary language created by Edgar de Wahl in 1922. Occidental- The Occidental Kalighat Paintings These paintings depict the day-to-day chores and lives of people, the stories of the warriors and fighters during the Independence like that of Rani Lakshmi Bai. These paintings were a part of the Occidental school of Kalighat paintings while the painting with religious and mythological themes was under the Oriental school of Kalighat painting. Kalighat Painting. Hindu Patuas are active in the Kalighat and Kumartuli regions of Calcutta, along with some other parts of West Bengal, where they are reduced in number. The Occidental school of Kalighat paintings depicts the day to day life of common people. They painted heroic characters like Tipu Sultan and Rani Lakshmibai. One of the oldest neighbourhoods in South Kolkata, Kalighat is also densely populated — with a history of cultural intermingling with the various foreign incursions into the area over time. With the … The Kalighat style of painting emerged around the Kali temple in Calcutta simultaneously. The culture of Kolkata concerns the music, art, museums, festivals, and lifestyle within Kolkata. 2. Kalighat painting or Kalighat Pat originated in the 19th century Bengal, in the vicinity of Kalighat Kali Temple, Kalighat, Kolkata, India, and from being items of souvenir taken by the visitors to the Kali temple, the paintings over a period of time developed as a distinct school of Indian painting. The other mo… Today, they practice customs that are both Hindu and Islamic in nature. Later academic training institutions were set up in Bengal imparting European style of art for the Indian artists by British patrons. The Calcutta School of Art was one such school and attracted traditional artists–the patuas—to the city. 3. David McCutchion was an English-born academic, and a pioneer in a number of original strands of scholarship in Indian studies before his early death at age 41. As a part of the Bengal Presidency, it also hosted the region's most advanced political and cultural centers during British rule. Initially sold as items of souvenir taken by the visitors to the Kali temple, the paintings over a period of time developed as a distinct school of Indian painting. Images of Durga, Lakshmi, and Annapurna were also popular, especially during the Durga Puja festival. Gradually, they started to learn from the newer techniques and discovered that these could help them increase their earnings. They started creating new forms of art and the Kalighat painting was born. Originally named Bijoy Chandra, Manishi was the fifth child, and third son, of Purnashashi Devi and Kula Chandra Dey. The Bengali Renaissance or simply Bengal Renaissance, was a cultural, social, intellectual and artistic movement in Bengal region in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent during the period of the British Indian Empire, from the 19th century to the early 20th century dominated by Bengali Hindu community. Theatre in Bangladesh is believed to have its origin in the 4th century AD in the form of Sanskrit drama. Drawings and Paintings of Kalighat by Mukul Dey, The Painters of Kalighat: 19th Century Relics of a Once Flourishing Indian Folk Art Killed by Western Mass Production Methods by Mukul Dey, Bengal Engineering and Science University, Shibpur, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Kalighat_painting&oldid=721848276, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, About Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core. Kalighat painting usually portrayed a variety of themes, based on these themes these paintings are classified into two styles namely Oriental and Occidental. Bengal has a recorded history of 1,400 years. The Bengal School of Art commonly referred as Bengal School, was an art movement and a style of Indian painting that originated in Bengal, primarily Kolkata and Shantiniketan, and flourished throughout the Indian subcontinent, during the British Raj in the early 20th century. The Indian state of West Bengal has a rich cultural and artistic heritage. Kalighat painting. The Battala woodcuts were printed on a very cheap newsprint like paper to keep the cost of these prints low. In this exercise I also learnt emulation is the best way of learning, hence to get a hands on experience I emulated an occidental Kalighat painting. Also known as 'Indian style of painting' in its early days, it was associated with Indian nationalism (swadeshi) and led by Abanindranath Tagore (1871-1951), but was also promoted and supported by British arts administrators like E. B. Havell, the principal of the Government College of Art, Kolkata from 1896; eventually it led to the development of the modern Indian painting. But the Kalighat artists did not restrict themselves to religious themes. Due to the reign of many different rulers in the past, arts and crafts in West Bengal underwent many changes giving an artistic diversity today in the forms of traditional handicrafts, masks, painting and carving, dance, music etc. Such prints were then hand coloured. Please help this article by looking for better, more reliable sources. [21] Archer’s insistence on Western influence on Kalighat paintings is further weakened by flaws in his methodology. 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