Kalighat Painting

Kalighat Painting

introduction

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alighat painting was a product of the changing urban society of the nineteenth century Calcutta. With the growing importance of the Kalighat temple as a pilgrimage centre in the then British capital, Calcutta, a group of artists from the traditional patua and other artisan communities evolved a quick method of painting on mill-made paper. Using brush and ink from the lampblack, these artists defined figures of deities, gentry and ordinary people with deft and vigorously flowing lines. There were satirical paintings lampooning the hypocrisies of the newly rich and the changing roles of men and women after the introduction of education for women.Today the practice of Kalighat paintings still continues in the villages of Bengal where the rich traditions are proudly being carried out by the patuas.

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origin and history

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alighat Painting originated in the vicinity of Kalighat Kali Temple, Kalighat (Kolkata, India) in 19th century. Kalighat temple was considered the main centre around which the traditional artists called ‘the pataus’ or ‘painters of cloth’ concentrated. Later academic training institutions were set up in Bengal imparting European style of art for the Indian artists by British patrons. This induced the traditional artists to move from rural areas to the city. They started learning from the newer techniques. They also created innovative and new art forms. This eventually led to the birth of Kalighat painting. Kalighat School was a unique and delightful Blend of the Oriental and the Occidental styles of painting. Due to this exceptional combination, it gained steady acknowledgment. The artists played an important role in the Independence movement through the depiction of secular themes and personalities in their paintings.

he simple paintings and drawings of the Kalighat artists could easily be reproduced by lithography. Such prints were then hand coloured. This trend continued up to the early part of the twentieth century and these paintings ended up in museums and private collections. This was considered as one of their significant accomplishment. Kalighat painters experimented with faint lithographed outlines to which they applied broad washes of color. They painted dancing-girls, voluptuous women holding scarlet roses, women combing hair, nursing peacocks, or courtesans eating pan.

The exact date of beginning the activities of the patuas at Kalighat is difficult to trace as there are no historical documents about the origin. To know the origin of this genre, one has to rely upon certain evidences. The material evidences like type of paper and colours used by the patuas point towards the first half of the 19th century for the origin of the type. The other means to know the origin is to follow the date of acquisition of these paintings by different European collectors and from which it can be concluded that Kalighat paintings have been commenced sometime after the erection of present day Kalighat Temple and probably between first and second quarter of 19th century.

By the early 19th century the Kalighat Temple was a popular destination for local people, pilgrims and certain foreign visitors as well. With the rise of popularity and fame of the goddess Kali, many of the artisans and craftsmen flocked to Kalighat area to capitalise the new market by selling cheap religious souvenirs to the visitors.

Soon after that a number of skilled artists moved to Kolkata from the rural Bengal especially from 24 Paraganas and Midnapore and set up stalls outside the Temple.

theme

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he most interesting aspect of Kalighat painting is perhaps its strong social themes and consciousness. Kalighat painting was the first of its kind in the Indian subcontinent that expressed subaltern sentiment and addressed customers directly. Like most other Indian art forms, Kalighat paintings too started on with a religious note. Hindu deities, along with their incarnations, were painted by the painters. Gradually, social sentiments came to be expressed in the medium of paper and colors. The painters were keen observers of life, with a grim sense of humour. The wealthy zeminders (landowners) ravishing wine and women, foppish babus spending their day and night at nasty places, a priest or Vaishnav "Guru" living with unchaste women - these would not escape the searching eyes of these artists. They had a moralizing intent and would draw the caricatures in such a way as would repel ordinary people from such activities.Two of the most used themes in Kalighat painting are the Bengali 'Babus' and their hollow, decrepit culture, and also the 'loose women' of the society. Kolkata being the Indian capital at that time, there was close association with the west.

Spread of English education and Bengal Renaissance brought noticeable changes in the minds and attitudes of the the-then Bengalis. While some pursued gracious causes, the majority simply aped the British and came to represent what is known as the 'Babu' culture. A new typology of men and women were created.The painters were keen observers of life, with a different kind of humour. The wealthy zamindars (landowners) ravishing wine and women, sloppy babus spending their day and night at questionable locales, a priest or Vaishnav "Guru" living with unchaste women- these were some of the themes depicted by these artists. These Babus became the butt of social satires and were portrayed with ridicule in contemporary literature and Kalighat paintings. The Bengali babu and the 'loose woman' symbolized for them the eroding of traditional Indian values. This satirical gaze at the changing society, altering lifestyles and industrial progress is the distinguishing characteristic of Kalighat paintings.

These Babus became the butt of social satires and were portrayed with ridicule in contemporary literature and Kalighat paintings. The Bengali babu and the 'loose woman' symbolized for them the eroding of traditional Indian values. This satirical gaze at the changing society, altering lifestyles and industrial progress is the distinguishing characteristic of Kalighat paintings.

There are different views regarding the character and influence on Kalighat painting. While some opine that they were much influenced by the West, others hold that local technique and social settings are entirely responsible for the Kalighat style. However, it is now acknowledged that Kalighat painting is a legacy that unfolds our past‌a past that might have been lost and forgotten, had it not been for these paintings of Kalighat. It is interesting to note that for ages scholars and critics alike neglected this folk painting. In India, the ancient Sanskrit texts largely served as the yardstick for judging the merit of art forms. The written word was considered far more important than pictorial expressions. Since they lacked the authority of the sacred text, the rural and folk visual forms of the Kalighat Paintings were considered inferior expressions, unworthy of any attention.The artists' paintings also depicted different professions and costumes as well. Even contemporary events like crime were the subject of many paintings. ike Tipu Sultan and Rani Lakshmibai.

religious and mythological theme

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alighat paintings were mainly sold as items of religious souvenir taken by the visitors to the Kali temple. It was thus obvious that the prime focus were given on religious and mythological characters. From the depiction of Hindu gods & goddesses, episodes from Ramayana and Mahabharata, scenes from the life of Krishna to the other mythological characters, the Kalighat paintings developed to reflect a variety of religious themes.

Amongst the deities, Kali was the favourite which was quite reasonable and apart from that Shiva in the form of Panchanan or sitting along with Parvati on Nandi or carrying Sati, Lakshmi herself or in the form of Gajalakshmi or Chandi as Kamalekamini, Durga as Mahishasur mardini, and other gods and goddesses like Kartikeya, Ganesha, Saraswati, Jagadhatri etc all were the popular themes of Kalighat paintings. Different incarnations of Vishnu like Parashurama, Balarama, Krishna, Rama etc and series of scenes from life of Krishna like milking a cow, killing Putana, affair with Radha, Kaliya daman etc. all were represented in Kalighat repertoire.

In the village, unrolling the sequential frames of pictures of two great epics while chanting the story was all the part of the traditional performances of patuas in Bengal and Kalighat paintings were no exception to potray the episodes of two great epics. The Kalighat patuas painted stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata in a quite fashionable way. The interesting thing in Kalighat painting was the presence of Islamic icons.

They had a moralizing intent and would draw the caricatures in such a way as would repel ordinary people from such activities. The Babus' slavery to these women also subtly depicted the then changing facet and eroding values of Indian society.

A N Sarkar and C Mackay1 described that “It is important to note the presence of strong images from Islam and Christanity in the Kalighat repertoire. The painters sought to capture all slices of the truly cosmopolitan market available to them”. One famous representation in Kalighat Paintings was “Duldul Horse” on which Husain, the younger grandson of Prophet Muhammad, was killed in the battle of Karbala.

There were many such instances which pertained to Islamic mythology.

The themes in Kalighat paintings had wide variety. From the pantheon of Hindu Gods and Goddess to the religious and contemporary social events –nothing left behind as the theme of Kalighat paintings. Kalighat painting started getting its deserved attention and appreciation only in the twentieth century. Facing Traditional Indian art was facing an imminent threat from the aggressive western culture.

Thus the preservation of traditional Indian art became a prime concern.

Local traditions suddenly assumed supreme importance and there was an acute need for protecting, documenting and reviving rural art. This largely led to Kalighat Paintings coming into the limelight.

MAKING & INNOVATION OF PAINTING

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ue to the era in which Kalighat paintings were born, they were created with natural dyes and on easily available materials such as cloth and scrolls. What is interesting about the Kalighat paintings is that an entire family would be involved in the creation of the piece. Each member of the family had a particular task in the creation process, based on sex and age.The women and children in the family are responsible for grinding the colors and creating the dyes. Other responsibilities included marking the outline in pencil and generally making all preparations for the painting.The first of the artists would copy only the outline of the sketch onto the canvas from the model sketch. A second artist would then draw and color the contours of the figures, as they were always human figures. The flesh would be depicted in a lighter shade than the muscles.The last among the artists would fill in the surrounding colors in the motif as well as the backdrop along with the final outline done in black.

Kalighat paintings also saw a diversification in the motifs or subjects for their paintings. Pets and other animals such as cats, fish, lobsters, prawns, birds etc. were also used as primary subjects in a string of Kalighat paintings. Experts say, that this shift in theme could have been influenced either by the Mughal fascination with fauna or with British, and by extension Western, interest in modern themes.

Images of goddess were popular among Kalighat artists. Kali was the favourite goddess among all deities. The artists also portrayed themes like Sita-Rama, Radha-Krishna and the exploits of Hanuman. The artists played an important role in the Independence movement through the depiction of secular themes and personalities in their paintings. Although it is obvious that there would have first been a sketch and an outline and eventually the filling of the motif, it is interesting to learn about the unconventional tools used to make these paintings. Squirrel and goat hair was used to make the brush that was used for sketch drawings. The black ink used for this purpose was made using soot produced by burning an oil lamp under a pot.

The other vibrant colors used for filling the painting were essentially homemade in the form of either vegetable dyes or powdered stone fragments of different colors. The dry colors would be mixed with either gum or water to create paint fit to be used on paper and textile.

With the onset of industrial revolution in India however, the colors that were used were industrially produced along with the canvas.

Kalighat paintings were produced with variety of water based, opaque colours on papers. Several colours like blue, indigo, red, green, yellow, carbon black etc. had been used in Kalighat paintings.Some of these colours were made of indigenous ingredients.

The Kalighat style of painting is also characterized by formal and linear economy, meaningful gestures, and quality brushwork and flawless rhythmic strokes. The drawings are bold and attractive, while at the same time, also maintaining simplicity of technique.

The Kalighat Paintings are watercolor paintings done on mill-made paper by the scroll painters-cum-potters that migrated from rural Bengal to the city of Calcutta in the nineteenth century. The styles of these paintings were characterized by broad sweeping brush lines, bold colors, and simplification of forms. These paintings were sold to the devotees who visited the Kalighat temple.

VARIETY

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he main distinguishing facet of the Kalighat paintings is the motifs used in them. Due to this, there are two types of Kalighat paintings that one can witness, Oriental and Occidental.

The Oriental Kalighat paintings depict gods, goddesses, mythological characters as well as scenes from religious Hindu texts. Some of the most popular motifs from this type include Rama-Sita, Radha-Krishna, goddess Durga, goddess Laksmi, goddess Annapurna, Hanuman, Shiva and Parvati, among others.

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 quasibourgeois, depictions of the freedom struggle, heroes of the struggle including Rani Lakshmi Bai and Tipu Sultan, a girl playing the sitar and other themes that common people could identify with. In this sense, Kalighat paintings were way ahead of their times and influenced a lot of critical thinking in those that appreciated this art form.

Besides motifs, Kalighat paintings feature the use of basic colors like indigo, blue, black, yellow, red and green due to the predominant use of homemade dyes. Only for ornamentation would artisans use silver and gold.

INTERESTING FACTS 1.Kalighat paintings have said to influence modern artists like the late Jamini Roy. 2.Many Western art scholars have studied the Kalighat paintings and made an effort to interpret them. However, many of them got the plots wrong and the misconceptions were dismissed only about two decades ago 3.The earliest Kalighat paintings were made on long scrolls and the artisans would sing songs related to the theme of the painting in order to sell them.

4.The customer base for the Kalighat paintings increased and expanded to include traders and merchants from the Western parts of the country, in the 19th century.

5..The largest collection of Kalighat paintings is not in India, but rather in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

6.The Kalighat paintings were very popular form of art in the past. The popularity can be judged from the fact that they were they were replicated by the German lithography on glazed paper and inundated which resulted in the demise of this art form. There aren't any practioners of the traditional art form.

7.These miniature folk paintings were made on crude hand made papers.

The Kalighat paintings were basically line drawings, the outlines of which were made in bold single stroke with a brush.

Kalighat paintings are now on exhibit across the globe, right from Britain to Prague to Philadelphia. It is one of the most well recognized forms of Indian modern art that has been witnessed globally. Besides being an art form, it is also used as a modern motif in the creation of fashionable ethnic Indian garments. Indian designers have been inspired by this genre of art to create some of the most unusual motifs to have ever been spotted on a saree. This however, has played a great role in widening the scope of its reception and bringing it to younger people whose interest lies more in unique fashion than in modern art forms.

COMMERCIALIZATION

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n the early 20th century, validated by the particularized vision of Modernism, Kalighat paintings were gradually upgraded to “art.” The abstract quality of these works resulting from the sparse composition, elegant line, and brevity in representation of volume appealed to the newly formulated Modernist aesthetic. In 1926 Calcutta collector and critic Ajit Ghose wrote enthusiastically: “There is an exquisite freshness and spontaneity of conception and execution in these old brush drawings…there is a boldness and vigour in the brush line which may be compared to Chinese calligraphy”.

Implicit in their reallocation from souvenir and ethnographic collections to art museums is a removal of their earlier function as “Bazaar Paintings,” that is, cheap souvenirs of travels or pilgrimage to be picked up in the markets.

Instead, Kalighat paintings entered the domain of art, which by the mid19th century designated a special sphere of creativity, spontaneity, and purity, a realm of refined sensibility and expressive “genius” The Kalighat school of paintings in precise can be referred as one of the first schools of India that is both modern and popular.

These watercolour drawings/paintings with strong lines, vibrant colours and in bold simplification with a visual rhythm diminishing any kind of 3dimensional perspective bring them in quite close affinity with modern art.

The contemporary depiction of their space and time make these paintings a social document of their times that is quite different from today's world but in no way reduces the reflection of the modern mindset of the people who delved with innovation and brought about changes in looking at things and set a kind of market value to the practice of art to popularize and connect it to the mass. And of course Kalighat paintings were a means of livelihood for many artists of that period in the history.

evaluation and conclusion

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alighat Paintings are a group of paintings, which have their roots in cultural upheavals of 19th century colonial Bengal. Kalighat Painting is a legacy, which help us understand the mode of life at the time of their creation and immortalise events which would otherwise be lost to future generations. Kalighat painting was mainly depictions of Hindu god and goddess including their various incarnation. But over a period of time the influences expanded and Kalighat Painting became a reflection of the society of their time. The artist used this medium to record his impression of the dynamic social environment he lived in. Here you find the best of Indian art painting in this collection of folk art painting from various regions of India. This Indian painting depict Indian life through various schools of Indian art. Some painting have a very old style and some are relatively modinfluence of Mughal as well as contemporary British artists.5 Several scenes of animals like cat etc., birds, prawns/lobstars, fishes like Rui, Shol etc. were the popular themes in Kalighat paintings.

The themes in Kalighat paintings had wide variety. From the pantheon of Hindu Gods and Goddess to the religious and contemporary social events –nothing left behind as the theme of Kalighat paintings.

Today the practice of Kalighat paintings still continues in the villages of Bengal where the rich traditions are proudly being carried out by the patuas which are being handed down through the generations. This is surely a matter of great appreciation and a consortium is needed whose untired effort will revive the glorious past of Bengal.ern painting.The Kalighat patuas showed an interest in portraying domestic pets which might be an There are different views regarding the character and influence on Kalighat painting. While some opine that they were much influenced by the West, others hold that local technique and social settings are entirely responsible for the Kalighat style. However, it is now acknowledged that Kalighat painting is a legacy that unfolds our past ‌ a past that might have been lost and forgotten, had it not been for these paintings of Kalighat. It is interesting to note that for ages scholars and critics alike neglected this folk painting. In India, the ancient Sanskrit texts largely served as the yardstick for judging the merit of art forms. The written word was considered far more important than pictorial expressions. Since they lacked the authority of the sacred text, the rural and folk visual forms of the Kalighat Paintings were considered inferior expressions, unworthy of any attention.

Kalighat painting started getting its deserved attention and appreciation only in the twentieth century. Facing Traditional Indian art was facing an imminent threat from the aggressive western culture. Thus the preservation of traditional Indian art became a prime concern. Local traditions suddenly assumed supreme importance and there was an acute need for protecting, documenting and reviving rural art. This largely led to Kalighat Paintings coming into the limelight. Since then, it has been recognized as a brilliantly inventive aesthetic movement, and has received significant international attention.