-: West Bengal Art Culture :-

Calcutta, the capital city of Bengal , located on the banks of the Hooghly, was the gateway for trade into much of Northern India during the British period, and also the location of a school of Hindu painting. This was centred on the temple of Kali , and is known to scholars as Kalighat painting from the district around the temple and its river-bank steps (ghats). Here, during the 19th century, artists prepared paintings of the Gods, specially with those popular with the local Bengali population.

Often brightly coloured and painted on ephemeral bazaar paper, they fulfilled the same function as today's photomechanical prints. They proved especially popular with a wider, non-Hindu audience in this century, because of the discriminating, though unselfconscious, way in which the artists pared down all details to minimum number of lines. They thus speedily produced bright and fair images at a very low price.

The Kalighat artists almost certainly belonged to the rural caste who had traditionally been the painters of scrolls used by travelling story-tellers. They set up at the temple, attracted by the wealth of the thriving new city . The function of these story-telling painters has today been taken over by Cinema and television, but the recitation of the traditional and local story, accompanied by the showing of the scroll with its many registers, has had a long history in eastern India . Indeed, texts records that this was once a pan-Indian tradition which has now dwindled to rural Bengal and only a few other locations.

Art galleries in Kolkata

All Calcuttans worth their salt (or fish!) have an artist's passion tucked away somewhere in the corners of their hearts. Small wonder, then, that the city is dotted with innumerable havens for art aficionados. Kolkata has also played a prominent role in the development of modern Indian art.

The Academy of Fine Arts :

Mention Art, and the first name you're bound to hear is this one. Established in 1933 by Lady Ranu Mukherjee, the Academy hosts an impressive collection of miniature paintings, Indian textiles and sculptures. It also has some fine exhibits of contemporary Indian art, besides Indian weapons! The Academy is also among the best places to understand the oeuvre of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore - its Rabindra Gallery, contains original paintings, manuscripts and memorabilia associated with Tagore. Do check the newspaper before dropping by at the Academy - art exhibitions at the Academy often find mention in the day's listings, and are a must-see if you're in Calcutta .

Birla Academy of Art and Culture:

Situated on what is popularly known as Southern Avenue, the Birla Academy is a veritable treasure trove not just for the art addict, but also for those keen to get a bird's-eye view of Kolkata's Rabindra Sarovar - a quaint oasis complete with lakes and greenery, in the heartland of Calcutta. Its exhibits include contemporary and medieval paintings, sculptures, bronzes and terracotas. Art exhibitions are a regular feature of the Birla Academy 's itinerary.

Ashutosh Museum of Indian Art:

The museum is located in the Centenary Building of the Calcutta University . This is a good place to go to for a feel on Bengal 's artistic heritage - it houses rare collections of art forms that are unique to the state, including Patachitra paintings and Katha Shilpo.

Abanindranath Tagore Gallery, Government College of Arts and Crafts:

This gallery is part of a college that dates back to 1884. It was knows as the School of Industrial Art then, but has been in its present location for just a little over a decade. It is named after the famous Indian painter Abanindranath Tagore. Besides these, Calcutta has a host of galleries that have sprung up over the years and offer endless delight to those with an eye and heart for Art.. At Shantiniketan ,an International University founded by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore where the cultures of the East & the West could meet and mingle. Named Vishva-Bharati, the University represents Indian traditions while incorporating the best of other cultures. Shantiniketan, the abode of peace, was initially an Ashram or hermitage founded in 1863 by Maharishi Devendranath Tagore. In 1901 his son, Rabindranath converted it into an experimental open-air school with just five students. It proved a success. He widened the scope of studies which gradually formed the nucleus of a University.Another interesting feature about Santiniketan is that splendid sculptures, frescoes, murals and paintings of Rabindranath, Nandlal Bose, Ramkinkar, Bindobehari Mukhopadhyaya and others adorn the campus. Shantiniketan is a University town and a centre of learning. The Uttarayan complex where the poet lived consists of several buildings such as Udayana. Konark, Shyamali, Punascha and Udichi which reflect the architectural genius of the poet's illustrious son the late Rathindranath Tagore. In addition there are Kala Bhavan ( College of Fine Arts and Crafts). Sangit Bhavan ( College of Music and Dance), Vidya Bhavan ( College of Humanities ), Siksha-Bhavan ( College of Science ) and Vinaya Bhavan (Teacher's Training College ), Cheena Bhavan and Hindi Bhavan. The Shantiniketan campus of Viswa Bharati has grown up to be a centre for learning with a bias towards art, music and humanities. At Shriniketan, mainly a Centre for Rural Service and Studies (Palli Samgathan Bibhaga), there is a college of Agriculture (Palli Siksha Sadan) as well.