Traditional Folk Paintings & Prints of Bengal
Bengali folk painting emerged in the 20th century as a popular medium of cultural expression independent of temple art conventions and uninfluenced by the influence of a royal court. Paint on scrolls (Patachitra), which originated in Bengal, Odisha, and Bihar, is a traditional folk art of eastern India. Every state contributes to the uniqueness of the art; however, West
Bengal’s Patachitra traditions are what really distinguishes the Kalighat paintings. This article describes all the different styles of Folk art of Bengal.
Origins of Bengal’s folk paintings
It is estimated that Bengal has been producing scroll folk paintings by Santhals in Bengal for over 2000 years. Traditional bards and storytellers used these scrolls to illustrate various events and themes to tell stories in previous times. During the 19th century, it was the only school of painting that thrived in Bengal, and the traditional art of scroll painting was highly regarded in rural areas. The paintings usually depicted cloth or animal skins. Their paintings depicted traditional images of gods and goddesses and scenes from epics such as Rama Charita Manas by Tulsidas.
During village meetings and festivals, the artists sang scenes from the epics depicted in their scroll folk paintings by Santhals in Bengal, first spoken by villagers and then painted on the scrolls. Patuas were the painters on cloth that were half Hindu and half Muslim and practised Islam.
Different styles of folk paintings seen in Bengal
● Batik prints:
Paintings of village life and Hindu deities are very popular in West Bengal. In addition to producing Batik prints, artists are now also designing Sarees, Kurtas, and other clothing with colourful designs.
● Kalighat Pat:
In 19th century Bengal, at the location of Kalighat Kali Temple, Kalighat, and Kolkata, the Kalighat Pat paintings were used as souvenirs by visitors to the Kali temple. Still, over time they became a distinct style of Indian painting. The Kalighat paintings developed to represent various Hindu deities and mythological characters.
● Kantha:
Kantha is the traditional embroidary form of Bengal. This is primarily a traditional form of floral, bird, and animal motifs and can be done on cotton and silk materials. The local tradition is predominantly used on Dhotis and Sarees that make up men’s and women’s traditional clothing. Other than blankets, bedspreads, tablecloths, and other textile items feature Kantha motifs.
● Patachitra:
A Tasar silk painting is typically made on a cloth of the same name. In a traditional patachitra painting colors like red ochre, indigo, green, black, and white are used. These colours are all derived from various sources. These sources include Hingula, Ramaraja, Haritala, lamp black, and shells.
However, each of them draws pictures of Hindu mythology and different social issues in a way that is unusual for them.
● Bengal Pat:
A traditional art form that originated in Bengal was called Bengal Pat. A painting depicts the life and times of the society and myth using dyes derived from spices, earth, soot, etc. Red, indigo, green, black, and ochre are the common colours for Bengal Pat. Art collectors love Bengal Pat because of its unique style. Spoofs of traditional social practices are included in some paintings, thus attempting to bring awareness to them for change. In order to preserve and beautify these stories, some of these artists began depicting them on cloth scrolls.
