Ganesha Music Band

Lord Shiva has always been a much sought after figure of Patachitra, as these paintings, when done on the back of clay saucers instead of papers, are used in the place of clay idols of deities and are worshipped in the household of many common Bengali people. This is also quite an old piece of art done by Bahadur Chitrakar. 

A depiction of modern women of the then Kolkata in this Patachitra talks about the inclination of the upper class, urban women towards art and music. Painted in typical Pot Maya style, by a young artist of today, Rajesh Chitrakar, it shows the culture of Bengal. 

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. 

A modern lady of the then Kolkata is painted here in this art piece by Bahadur Chitrakar. The get up of the lady suggests, she belongs to the affluent and literate class of urban Kolkata, who were privileged of being introduced to education and would get the liberty of pursuing their hobbies. The painting holds up a picture of the socio-economic scenario of the era. Such paintings are testimony of their time.