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. This painting shows the courtship of a young tribal couple, surrounded by their friends and playmates. 

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. 

A scene from the saga of Radha and Krishna, essentially the most famous of Hindu deities, serves as one of the set of paintings that the Pata Shilpis show while singing the mythological story of Rashlila. These sets are shown accompanied by songs narrating stories of Radha - Krishna, to the villagers who cannot read the books but love to know more about them. This piece is done by Rajesh Chitrakar.