Painter, story teller and magician
Like the Patuas, the Jadu Patuas are painters and story tellers and go from village to village carrying their painted scrolls made of paper sheets sewn together with a bamboo stick on each extremity.
Jadu means "Magician". The themes they represent on the scrolls are much more limited than the Patuas. There is about a dozen themes. However, there is different interpretation for each theme. A Jadu Patua can, looking at one scroll, say different stories depending if his audience is Hindu, Muslim or Santal. This last ethnic group is the most important audience for the Jadu Patuas.
The Patuas live with the money that the villagers give them after listening to their stories. The fact that they are magicians give a special effect to their intervention because the villagers fear them.
One of the most revealing images of the Jadu Patuas' role (in the Santal community) is the "Mritu pat" or "image of the deaths". When somebody dies in a village near the Jadu Patua's one, the "artist magician" visits the family of the dead with a small and simple image (about 3 x 2 inches) which is supposed to represent the dead in a simple way. Only the late person's pupil is missing. Showing this image to the family, the Jadu Patua tells the story evoking the suffering of the dead whose soul is still trapped in hell. The family then gives an offering to the Jadu Patua in order for him to intervene. The ritual for the Magician painter consists then to paint the dead's pupil in order to free his soul. The principles developed by the Jadu Patuas are : the Baha's feast (a strange mixture of Hindu and Santal myths showing a lot of festivities where tribal dances, sacrifices and drinking sessions scenes are mixed); the creation of the world (where we can see the first human couple being born from the coupling of a goose and a gander); the painting of Kali (composed with 3 or 4 paper sheets only, showing Kali in her most terrifying aspects) and a lot of scrolls about Yama, the god of hell (showing all the ill treatments, sometimes sexual, given by Yama and his servants to the dead who behaved badly during their lifetime). It seems that the scarier the Jadu Patuas'style gets, the more highly he is regarded. Ja
Showing posts with label Patua. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patua. Show all posts
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
Kalighat paintings
Kalighat paintings originated in Bengal with the patua artists, a local artistic tradition. The bazaar painters around the famous Kalighat temple adapted this style to produce works for the visiting devotees. The golden age of Kalighat art spans from the mid nineteenth century up until the 1920's.
They are highly prized and sought after because they are seen as the beginning of Indian modern art, because it was the first folk style art that created a new direction from the meticulously finished Indian and Mughal miniature tradition. They were very influential on later artists because of the quick and spontaneous drawing and simple flowing color and line.
During the early part of the 20th century Indian artists were searching for a style of art that they felt truly reflected Indian experience and Kalighat paintings were like a breath of fresh air sweeping away the dusty academia of the European style. The introduction of watercolor paint with the British, who loved to go outdoors and paint landscapes and flora, had shown these artists the potential of this quick acting medium. Watercolor lends itself to the 'sketch' or quick impression.
Parallel to this spontaneity, the subject matter also broadened into other areas. The patua painters who worked in this style would of course paint the deities for the pilgrims but they also painted quick scenes of contemporary life in Bengal ( like the europeanised Babu and his mistress, trying so hard not to be too Indian), proverbs and tales (like the cat with the lobster signifying the fat cat priest), and also current newspaper scandals and stories.
Very often several artists were involved in the finished work, one sketching out the line, another quickly filling in the color, and maybe another one finishing off with detail or silver/gold highlights.
Later artists like Jamini Roy were very influenced by this quick drawn sketch as opposed to the lengthy worked out paintings or the dominant British academic oil painting style. They felt that this was truly an indigenous Indian art. Jamini Roy, in fact, started out as a highly accomplished British trained artist painting portraits and post-impressionist landscapes, until he specifically sought another more Indian style and used the local patua, Santhal and Kalighat art as a starting point.
Original Kalighat paintings are highly prized by collectors and are getting more difficult to find, because they are seen as the beginning of the trajectory of Indian modern art which has gathered such a momentum in the past decade.
Today, there are still Kalighat artists producing this style of work.
©Peter Louis 2005
They are highly prized and sought after because they are seen as the beginning of Indian modern art, because it was the first folk style art that created a new direction from the meticulously finished Indian and Mughal miniature tradition. They were very influential on later artists because of the quick and spontaneous drawing and simple flowing color and line.
During the early part of the 20th century Indian artists were searching for a style of art that they felt truly reflected Indian experience and Kalighat paintings were like a breath of fresh air sweeping away the dusty academia of the European style. The introduction of watercolor paint with the British, who loved to go outdoors and paint landscapes and flora, had shown these artists the potential of this quick acting medium. Watercolor lends itself to the 'sketch' or quick impression.
Parallel to this spontaneity, the subject matter also broadened into other areas. The patua painters who worked in this style would of course paint the deities for the pilgrims but they also painted quick scenes of contemporary life in Bengal ( like the europeanised Babu and his mistress, trying so hard not to be too Indian), proverbs and tales (like the cat with the lobster signifying the fat cat priest), and also current newspaper scandals and stories.
Very often several artists were involved in the finished work, one sketching out the line, another quickly filling in the color, and maybe another one finishing off with detail or silver/gold highlights.
Later artists like Jamini Roy were very influenced by this quick drawn sketch as opposed to the lengthy worked out paintings or the dominant British academic oil painting style. They felt that this was truly an indigenous Indian art. Jamini Roy, in fact, started out as a highly accomplished British trained artist painting portraits and post-impressionist landscapes, until he specifically sought another more Indian style and used the local patua, Santhal and Kalighat art as a starting point.
Original Kalighat paintings are highly prized by collectors and are getting more difficult to find, because they are seen as the beginning of the trajectory of Indian modern art which has gathered such a momentum in the past decade.
Today, there are still Kalighat artists producing this style of work.
©Peter Louis 2005
Monday, May 4, 2009
PatuyaSangit
It is a genre of folk song performed by PATUYAs (rural canvas painters) who paint stories on canvas based on myth and folklore. The illustrated canvas is unrolled as the patuya narrates the story through dance and song.
The stories of the pats (paintings) and their accompanying songs are very diverse in subject matter: tales about the world of the dead, Buddhist monks, Gazi Pir, RAMACHANDRA or KRISHNA. However, patuya sangit may also narrate recent social events as in the following example from Krishna's Avatara:
"The sins of the king visit the subjects; Laksmi or good luck leaves a household on account of the sins of the mistress of the house; Similarly, when there is drought, an emperor's subjects leave the land."
When a GAZIR PAT is shown, illustrating different incidents from the life of Gazi Pir, the patuya begins by duly saluting the holy man. He then goes on to sing about Gazi Pir and the miracles wrought by him capacities. During the display of a Yama pat, the focus is mainly on what happens after death in the world of Yama (the Hindu God of death), where, according to a song, the sinner is punished by being cooked in a pot by Lord Yama's mother: Yama rajer may baisa achhe tamar dekchi laiya/ ati papi manuser kalla dichhe se deke phelaiya.
Patuya songs are popular in many areas of WEST BENGAL: Birbhum, Burdwan and Murshidabad and Medinipur. Patuya Sangit, a book compiled by GURUSADAY DUTT, consists of stories of Krishna, Rama, etc. At one time Patuya songs, especially songs about Gazi Pir, were very popular in many areas of Bangladesh, among both Hindus and Muslims as they dealt with issues of religious reforms and social changes. Though the popularity of these folk songs has lessened in many areas, they still survive and are the main occupation of a particular sect or group of people.
The stories of the pats (paintings) and their accompanying songs are very diverse in subject matter: tales about the world of the dead, Buddhist monks, Gazi Pir, RAMACHANDRA or KRISHNA. However, patuya sangit may also narrate recent social events as in the following example from Krishna's Avatara:
"The sins of the king visit the subjects; Laksmi or good luck leaves a household on account of the sins of the mistress of the house; Similarly, when there is drought, an emperor's subjects leave the land."
When a GAZIR PAT is shown, illustrating different incidents from the life of Gazi Pir, the patuya begins by duly saluting the holy man. He then goes on to sing about Gazi Pir and the miracles wrought by him capacities. During the display of a Yama pat, the focus is mainly on what happens after death in the world of Yama (the Hindu God of death), where, according to a song, the sinner is punished by being cooked in a pot by Lord Yama's mother: Yama rajer may baisa achhe tamar dekchi laiya/ ati papi manuser kalla dichhe se deke phelaiya.
Patuya songs are popular in many areas of WEST BENGAL: Birbhum, Burdwan and Murshidabad and Medinipur. Patuya Sangit, a book compiled by GURUSADAY DUTT, consists of stories of Krishna, Rama, etc. At one time Patuya songs, especially songs about Gazi Pir, were very popular in many areas of Bangladesh, among both Hindus and Muslims as they dealt with issues of religious reforms and social changes. Though the popularity of these folk songs has lessened in many areas, they still survive and are the main occupation of a particular sect or group of people.
Drawings and Paintings of Kalighat by Mukul Dey
Strolling through the streets of South Calcutta a few years ago I chanced to get into the precincts of the old temple of Mother Kali. The lanes and bye-lanes leading to the temple courtyard were full of small shops dealing with everything interesting to the pilgrims, specially women-folk and children. There were sweetmeat shops in plenty, toys, utensils, bangles and what was most important to my eyes, pictures in colours as well as in lines, hung up in almost all the shops.
These drawings had a pecularity of their own which attracted the attention and interest of any man who had any taste for art and drawings. The drawings were bold and attractive and at the same time their technique was so different and simple, that they looked something absolutely distinctive from their class found anywhere else.
These pictures have now entirely vanished. The artist craftsmen are nearly all dead, and their children have taken up other business. In place of these hand-drawn and hand-painted pictures selling at two or four pice each, garish and evil-smelling lithographs and oleographs - quite appalling in their hideousness - have come. The old art is gone for ever - the pictures are now finding their last asylum in museums and art collections as things of beauty which we cannot let die.
It is difficult to state definitely how this original and bold school of art originated and developed in Kalighat; who were the leaders and who followed them. As in the case of other departments of our national life, our ancestors were indifferent in putting down any chronological or historical data of their activities. In this region of art also they were either indifferent or careless. As a result, we cannot trace any history of the development of this wonderful culture of our own. It can be surmised, however, that as pilgrims would rush to this shrine at Kalighat from all parts of India, as peoples of different tastes and likings would stay at this small place for a certain period of time, their wants would naturally be met and supplied by local people.
Thus a sort of market grew up at Kalighat for all things necessary for different types of people, of different provinces of our country; moreover these pilgrims would expect to take back something from this shrine which would have associated with it a peculiar halo and interest so that it may be kept up as a memento of the great event of their life. Ordinary things for day-to-day use can be had everywhere and however bright or cheap they might be, they would not add any special meaning. These drawings from the Kalighat patuas, however, would naturally possess a peculiar interest and if they would be hung up in any place amongst ten other pictures, they would outshine the others not only for their different characterization but for their wonderful colour-effects and contours as well. As pilgrims know no caste or difference in wealth, naturally these pictures would be taken, liked and hung by peoples of all classes and communities from the big Rajas and zemindars down to the most ordinary villagers or even little children.
These pictures would decorate the thakurghars or family chapels of the rich and the middle-class people, they would brighten up — some of them — the drawing-rooms of people of all sorts; they would add a touch of colour and joy in the humble hut of the tiller of the soil; and the village grocer or the "panwalla" round the corner of a city street would find no better and no cheaper decoration than these pictures. Thus the pictures had a wonderful mass appeal and mass appreciation.
The patuas would naturally sell a good lot of these pictures every year and I remember to have seen many in my younger days at least 30 or 40 shops in those bye-lanes to deal exclusively in these pictures and I remember the patuas drawing the pictures in their "shop-studios". These "shop-studios" in those days were more or less "news bureaus" of the country, where not only the pictures of mythological subjects were drawn, but caricatures and satirical sketches would be drawn dealing with the topics of the day, the happenings in the law courts as well as in the bazaars. From a study of the drawings it will be found that these patuas were expert in handling the brush and colour and they were keen observers of life, with a grim sense of humour. For example, wealthy zeminders spending their money on wine and women, foppish babus spending their day and night at nasty places, a Mohunt suffering imprisonment for abducting girls, or a priest or Vaishnav "Guru" (who is invariably depicted as a well-fed and well-groomed, pot-bellied and top-knotted - the veritable picture of a pious rouge) living with unchaste women - these would not escape the searching eyes of these artists and they would draw the caricatures in such a way as would repel ordinary people from such activities. Even popular sayings and proverbs get good illustrations from them.
But these patuas are not found in their old places now. When the other day I chanced to go over to the shrine again I searched in vain for all the old spots where those patuas in their "shop-studios" would draw paintings and sell them before standing crowds of buyers. The buyers are gone and so are the artists. Big buildings, three storeys high, have taken the places of old huts of which no trace can be found now. Not a shred of the old huts or the patuas are to be found now. The foreign imitators of these patuas have killed this trade out of its soil. Taking advantage of the popularity of those pictures the sly German traders sent thousands of lithographed copies printed on glazed papers with garish bright colours and flooded the whole country with these cheap imitations of Kalighat pictures. Following these German presses, a litho press of Western India then took the field and as a "Swadeshi" concern did the same thing and hastened the death of this wonderful school of indigenous Art in Bengal. The cheap price, the glazed paper and some kind of imitation of Kalighat pictures took away the crowd from those original artists who created them; the smelly characters of these gaudy paints did not deter them.
But can this very original and vigorous school of painting, which formed a sort of window for the souls of Bengal, not be revived now? This is a question which every artist and every Bengali who loves his province and its culture should ask. The real merit of the art and the unquestioned superiority of its quality created a great demand for these pictures throughout the country. I believe the demand still exists and it is being met in a niggardly way by those outrageous imitations of foreign make. It was more a spirit of making money by any means, even by degrading the art instincts of a people, that was more responsible than any actual decay of good taste among our people. The oleograph pictures were thrust upon the masses - the dallals and petty shopkeepers looked to the immediate commission and neglected the artist craftsmen. If we can now revive the old school of art, and produce similar pictures now, I believe they will have a very great demand throughout the country.
As a matter of fact, the Kalighat School of Bengal Art has been a glory of Bengal's culture and it is our national duty to revive the culture and glory. If false imitations can take advantage of the popularity there is no reason why we should not revive the original movement and drive out the imitators now, when the merit of the original artists is being universally acknowledged and appreciated. Even now a few stray patuas of the old school can be found and if we encourage them and patronise them they can maintain their old calling, and revive the Art in the near future. If we can also arrange to train our young men in these lines they can easily find a way of living by drawing with the help of pen and brush simple drawings of popular interest and get good money out of them as in the days of old. This is an aspect of the question that which our artists should not neglect - they should not turn up their noses at the idea of being a mere patuas.
As a matter of fact Bengal's traditional instinct lies with the methods of drawing inculcated in the Kalighat School of Art and I think these methods can be taught to our students much more easily than the complex western processes. We hope our countrymen, who are eager to regenerate the people and also those who are interested in the development of art and culture of the country, should pay attention to this very important item of Bengal's culture which is really the pride of our country, and help in revivifying its old glory and popularity.
These drawings had a pecularity of their own which attracted the attention and interest of any man who had any taste for art and drawings. The drawings were bold and attractive and at the same time their technique was so different and simple, that they looked something absolutely distinctive from their class found anywhere else.
These pictures have now entirely vanished. The artist craftsmen are nearly all dead, and their children have taken up other business. In place of these hand-drawn and hand-painted pictures selling at two or four pice each, garish and evil-smelling lithographs and oleographs - quite appalling in their hideousness - have come. The old art is gone for ever - the pictures are now finding their last asylum in museums and art collections as things of beauty which we cannot let die.
It is difficult to state definitely how this original and bold school of art originated and developed in Kalighat; who were the leaders and who followed them. As in the case of other departments of our national life, our ancestors were indifferent in putting down any chronological or historical data of their activities. In this region of art also they were either indifferent or careless. As a result, we cannot trace any history of the development of this wonderful culture of our own. It can be surmised, however, that as pilgrims would rush to this shrine at Kalighat from all parts of India, as peoples of different tastes and likings would stay at this small place for a certain period of time, their wants would naturally be met and supplied by local people.
Thus a sort of market grew up at Kalighat for all things necessary for different types of people, of different provinces of our country; moreover these pilgrims would expect to take back something from this shrine which would have associated with it a peculiar halo and interest so that it may be kept up as a memento of the great event of their life. Ordinary things for day-to-day use can be had everywhere and however bright or cheap they might be, they would not add any special meaning. These drawings from the Kalighat patuas, however, would naturally possess a peculiar interest and if they would be hung up in any place amongst ten other pictures, they would outshine the others not only for their different characterization but for their wonderful colour-effects and contours as well. As pilgrims know no caste or difference in wealth, naturally these pictures would be taken, liked and hung by peoples of all classes and communities from the big Rajas and zemindars down to the most ordinary villagers or even little children.
These pictures would decorate the thakurghars or family chapels of the rich and the middle-class people, they would brighten up — some of them — the drawing-rooms of people of all sorts; they would add a touch of colour and joy in the humble hut of the tiller of the soil; and the village grocer or the "panwalla" round the corner of a city street would find no better and no cheaper decoration than these pictures. Thus the pictures had a wonderful mass appeal and mass appreciation.
The patuas would naturally sell a good lot of these pictures every year and I remember to have seen many in my younger days at least 30 or 40 shops in those bye-lanes to deal exclusively in these pictures and I remember the patuas drawing the pictures in their "shop-studios". These "shop-studios" in those days were more or less "news bureaus" of the country, where not only the pictures of mythological subjects were drawn, but caricatures and satirical sketches would be drawn dealing with the topics of the day, the happenings in the law courts as well as in the bazaars. From a study of the drawings it will be found that these patuas were expert in handling the brush and colour and they were keen observers of life, with a grim sense of humour. For example, wealthy zeminders spending their money on wine and women, foppish babus spending their day and night at nasty places, a Mohunt suffering imprisonment for abducting girls, or a priest or Vaishnav "Guru" (who is invariably depicted as a well-fed and well-groomed, pot-bellied and top-knotted - the veritable picture of a pious rouge) living with unchaste women - these would not escape the searching eyes of these artists and they would draw the caricatures in such a way as would repel ordinary people from such activities. Even popular sayings and proverbs get good illustrations from them.
But these patuas are not found in their old places now. When the other day I chanced to go over to the shrine again I searched in vain for all the old spots where those patuas in their "shop-studios" would draw paintings and sell them before standing crowds of buyers. The buyers are gone and so are the artists. Big buildings, three storeys high, have taken the places of old huts of which no trace can be found now. Not a shred of the old huts or the patuas are to be found now. The foreign imitators of these patuas have killed this trade out of its soil. Taking advantage of the popularity of those pictures the sly German traders sent thousands of lithographed copies printed on glazed papers with garish bright colours and flooded the whole country with these cheap imitations of Kalighat pictures. Following these German presses, a litho press of Western India then took the field and as a "Swadeshi" concern did the same thing and hastened the death of this wonderful school of indigenous Art in Bengal. The cheap price, the glazed paper and some kind of imitation of Kalighat pictures took away the crowd from those original artists who created them; the smelly characters of these gaudy paints did not deter them.
But can this very original and vigorous school of painting, which formed a sort of window for the souls of Bengal, not be revived now? This is a question which every artist and every Bengali who loves his province and its culture should ask. The real merit of the art and the unquestioned superiority of its quality created a great demand for these pictures throughout the country. I believe the demand still exists and it is being met in a niggardly way by those outrageous imitations of foreign make. It was more a spirit of making money by any means, even by degrading the art instincts of a people, that was more responsible than any actual decay of good taste among our people. The oleograph pictures were thrust upon the masses - the dallals and petty shopkeepers looked to the immediate commission and neglected the artist craftsmen. If we can now revive the old school of art, and produce similar pictures now, I believe they will have a very great demand throughout the country.
As a matter of fact, the Kalighat School of Bengal Art has been a glory of Bengal's culture and it is our national duty to revive the culture and glory. If false imitations can take advantage of the popularity there is no reason why we should not revive the original movement and drive out the imitators now, when the merit of the original artists is being universally acknowledged and appreciated. Even now a few stray patuas of the old school can be found and if we encourage them and patronise them they can maintain their old calling, and revive the Art in the near future. If we can also arrange to train our young men in these lines they can easily find a way of living by drawing with the help of pen and brush simple drawings of popular interest and get good money out of them as in the days of old. This is an aspect of the question that which our artists should not neglect - they should not turn up their noses at the idea of being a mere patuas.
As a matter of fact Bengal's traditional instinct lies with the methods of drawing inculcated in the Kalighat School of Art and I think these methods can be taught to our students much more easily than the complex western processes. We hope our countrymen, who are eager to regenerate the people and also those who are interested in the development of art and culture of the country, should pay attention to this very important item of Bengal's culture which is really the pride of our country, and help in revivifying its old glory and popularity.
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