Kalighat Paintings

Kalighat Painting evolved as a unique painting style in the rapidly urbanizing cityscape of 19th-century Kolkata, West Bengal. The artists who developed the Kalighat painting style were traditional scroll painters (patuas). In catering to the changing urban populace, the artists modified their linear narrative styles and adopted single pictures with one or two figures. These were essentially water color paintings executed on mill-made paper. The style of these paintings is characterized by their bold sweeping brush lines, bold colours and a simplification of forms. The paintings over a period of time developed as a distinct school of Indian Painting. From the depiction of Hindu gods, goddesses, and other mythological characters, the Kalighat paintings developed to reflect a variety of themes.