Brass Earring

The location of these Patachitra Shilpi or artists falls in a place, popularly known as Jangal Mahal in West Bengal. The area is home to a number of indigenous tribes like Santhals, Vills, Mundas. The paintings, for obvious reasons, depict the tribal culture. One such example by Nazra Chitrakar, who learnt the art from her older generations and is now passing it on to her successors. A depiction of a tribal marriage ceremony is beautifully borne by this painting. 

The Patachitra of Pingla generally depicts the stories of Hindu mythology. In this artwork we can see the Hindu God Kartik with his peacock, done by Suman Chitrakar. The colours used in these artworks are all derived from natural elements; for example green is made from leaves, yellow from turmeric, etc. 

Painted in black and white, the old Kolkata’s Babu and Bibi (man and wife) talks about a common pass time for the couples, chatting and smoking. The painting style is known as ‘Kalighat er Patachitra’ which connects to Kalighat, the famous pilgrimage in Kolkata, and depicts the city life. Rajesh Chitrakar, an artist of the new generation has learned and mastered the art so well.