Bengal Handicraft. Wooden Toys. Pair of Owls

A rich man and his wife, enjoying leisure time over tobacco, is a common scene from the daily life of the then Bengal. The couple portrayed here represent a wealthy class. The abundance of jewelleries speaks for the affluence of the couple. The old days of Bengal’s socio-economic structure is well depicted in the painting. The art is generally coupled with a song that tells the story of the characters in the painting. Simple strokes to draw the figures and their attire and accessories have created magic here. It’s an art by 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. 

A lady of the then Kolkata, supposedly from the modern urban society, holds the hookah and the hand fan. Baharjan Chitrakar has created this art in her younger days. She has narrated the change coming in the society of her time. This piece of art, quite an old one, narrates the socio - economic revolution of the then Bengal. 

The famous scene of abduction of Seeta by Ravana, as depicted in Ramayana, is painted here in this piece of art by Bahadur Chitrakar. The giant bird Jatayu came to rescue Seeta but could not succeed as he got wounded by Ravana’s sword. Such stories of the Hindu epics make for the  subjects of many of these art pieces by the Pata Shilpis. It’s quite an old piece of art and is a heritage of Bengal’s culture.