ART FORMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Art form 1: Kalighat Pattachitra Painting
In this series, I explore the art forms from around the world and share with you all of what I have learned in the process of recreating it in my own style. For the first one in this series, I have picked from my very own country, India. “Kalighat paintings” originated from Bengal, around the 19th century. People in and around the temple of Goddess Kali located in Kolkata, used to go around with the scroll of paintings and singing about the stories depicted in the paintings. These paintings fall under the category of Patta Chitra, meaning paintings done on cloth. They were mainly bought by Europeans as collectibles. The theme revolved around gods and goddesses initially and then branched out to the social on-goings.
There are different styles of Patta Chitra art forms, but this one can be distinguished by shading done on the outlines, and the jewelry painted are broad. The women in these paintings are dressed in Bengali attire. The variety of colors used in these paintings are all natural colors extracted from flowers, fruits, and roots.
Even today we see people in Bengal creating these masterpieces.
In my study, I picked Goddess Durga, symbolizing power and protection. We can see that the Goddess is slaying the shape-shifting buffalo demon Mahishasura along with her vehicle, the tiger. The attire and jewels are matched with the Bengali traditions. Goddess Durga is depicted with 8 to 18 hands, only to express her martial skills. Her iconography shows her in action destroying the demon, and yet her face remains calm, which only depicts that she is protective and violent, not because of hatred but only out of necessity.
I have humbly attempted to create this painting and understand the art form better. Working on Procreate as it is my medium of work at present. If I enjoy anything besides painting, it is reading on the topics that I love, and this project is the result of it.
Give in your suggestions on what you would like me to explore next.
Connect with me on my email or chat with me on instagram on these topics, I am more than interested to hear your thoughts!
Connect with me on my email or chat with me on instagram on these topics, I am more than interested to hear your thoughts!
Until next time, stay curious!
