Unknown
Indian (active West Bengal, Kolkata (Calcutta))
An Errant Krishna Begs Forgiveness at Radha’s Feet, 19th c. late
pencil, color and silver on paper
18 x 11 in.
SBMA, Gift of Pratapaditya and Chitra Pal
2008.47.50
RESEARCH PAPER
Kalighat Painting
Kalighat painting is a style that originated in 19th century Bengal in the vicinity of Kalighat Kali Temple in Kolkata (Calcutta) India. It developed into a distinct school of Indian painting that is considered to have influenced contemporary Indian art.
The 19th century was a time of rapid change and development in the riverine port city of Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal. This was the era of the Bengali Renaissance, a time of intellectual awakening that roughly covers a period beginning in the late 18th century, throughout the 19th century, ending in the early20th century. It was a time of both religious and social reform championed by scholars, artists, writers, journalists and scientists of the Bengali intellectual community. What is most notable is that all of this took place within the influence and confines of alien colonialism.
British presence in Bengal dates back to 1690 when an agent of the East India Trading Company chose Kolkata as a place for a British trade settlement. Kolkata, then known as Kalikata, was one of three large villages bought by the Trade Company from local landlords. They developed and managed the area until 1858 when governance passed from the East India Trade Company to the British Crown. This year marks the beginning of the British Raj that continued until India gained independence in 1947.
This is the lively, wildly diverse environment that incubated Kalighat painting. It should not be confused with and is not part of the Bengal School of art that also flourished during the years of the British Raj. Kalighat painting was the transformation of folk art as waves of migration brought people from the villages into the city looking for new opportunities. Among them were the Patuas and Kumors: respectively scroll painters and clay modelers and potters.
Patua origins have been traced back to the 13th century. They are a specific group whose skills have been practiced and passed on generationally. Their traditional occupation is scroll painting and clay modeling of Hindu idols. Numerous historic literary references track this unique community as they moved back and forth through Hinduism, Buddhism and finally Islam. Ironically, these makers of Hindu art are mostly of Sunni Muslim faith. Kumor or Kumhar literally means potter and they are a caste or community of artisans found throughout India.
Both Patuas and Kumors were instrumental in the development of Kalighat painting, which emerged to meet the needs of endless streams of pilgrims and tourists visiting the Temple Kalighat Kali and the growing, diverse population of Kolkata. It was the chosen art form for the common man because advances in printing and photography and mill made paper made it accessible.
While gods and goddesses and other themes from Hindu mythology were often the subjects of Kalighat painting, increasingly it reflected modern society, scenes from everyday life and social commentary. An example of this is seen in the depiction of the Babu culture of 19th century Kolkata. Babus are defined as the neo-urban, flamboyant Bengali gentlemen who emerged as a result of intimate interaction with the British.
Patua scrolls had to be large and long because they were pictures that told stories of epic proportion. Every inch of the unfurled scroll was covered with images. Kalighat paintings are often no larger than a sheet of legal paper and focus on portraying a single individual or a simple scene.
There are a numerous distinctive features to be observed when looking at Kalighat paintings. There is no single source of light. The background is always either blank or decorative. The figures are created with an intention to show volume rather than depth. Vigorous, sweeping curving lines that create a rather androgynous form define bodies, male or female. Body shapes are completely outlined in a darker color, much like lines in a coloring book. The figures are then filled in with paint in an ordered progression. The first colors are the flesh tones of exposed body parts, limbs and faces. The outline of the body gives the appearance of shading but it is not, nor is it meant to be shading in the sense that we know it. It is simply a darker shade of thicker and thinner lines that serve to outline the figure. A typical Kalighat composition appears like it is floating on the paper. Kalighat painting is truly a genre in that there is no significant stylistic difference that defines one piece from another. One could say that Kalighat painting represents the urbanization and modernization of a folk tradition.
Prepared by Andrea Gallo for the SBMA Docent Council March 18, 2016
Bibliography
Kalighat Painting Images From a Changing World
Jyotindra Jain
First published in India in 1999 Mapin Publishing Pvt Ltd
Chidanbaram, Ahmedabad 380013 India
Kalighat Paintings
From the Collection of Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Edited by Suhashini Sinha and Professor C. Panda
First published in india in 2011 by Mapin Publishing Pvt Ltd
502 Patinosh, Near Darpana Academy Usmanpura Riverside, Ahmedabad 380013
Meeting God Elements of Hindu Devotion
Text and Photographs by Stephen P. Huyler Copyright 1999
Printed in Italy by Conti Tipcolor
Nine Lives
In Search of the Sacred in Modern India
First India Departures Edition,, June 2011
By William Dalrymple
Sbma India Kalighat
Puja and Piety Check list p9, #32, p20, #76, p24, #94, p25, #95/96, p26, #99