Brass Earring

A couple gets intimate and romantic while spending time together. As a part of a story telling about the regular, day to day life, this piece of art makes for a sweet romantic tale. Such paintings, accompanied by songs, in olden days of no television serials, would serve the purpose of entertainment to the village women. They would listen to the stories sung by the Pata Shilpis and laugh and cry, and become one with the characters. This one is done by a young artist Rajesh Chitrakar. 

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. The painting shows how the tribal youth goes hunting and come back with their catch. 

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.