Page 26 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

PAINTING 23

C. From the Colonial Period to the Present
Abul Mansur

The Colonial Period (1757-1947)
The fall of the Mughal Empire was initiated by the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in the
beginning of the eighteenth century. The period between then and the independence in
1947 can be termed as a transitional period in the history of India. A number of regional
forces rose to power in different areas of India in this period and the fragile
administrations created the opportunity for the western colonial aggressors to occupy
India. The British colonial rule, which was established through the decisive war at
Plassey in 1757, was not a mere political change of scenario like previous instances.
Instead, the near-200 years of British rule brought extensive transformations in not only
the lifestyle and psyche of the people of the Indian subcontinent but also in the
continuity of their long and traditional social systems and cultural traits. The manifold
transformations brought about a comprehensive shift of attitude and a restlessness and
skepticism in the society which in fact is persistent till now in different forms. Indian art
began to lose its traditional continuity from this time onwards and western tastes and
techniques started to play a significant role in the making of modern Indian art by
asserting great influence on it. Bengal was first and foremost in coming into contact
with the British and the influence helped create an aristocratic Bengali class equipped
with English education and western tastes. These newly educated Bengalis provided
leadership in two opposing activities, firstly, the imitation of western ideas and later on,
an upsurge of nationalistic fervor against the former. As a result, the characteristics of a
neo-Indian art started to take shape in this area. The art movements in India within the
two hundred years of British rule developed, in different historical periods, in a variety
of styles and techniques. The attitudes and tastes of the English rulers in different
periods of colonial rule exerted substantial influences on those developments. 26
1. The Kalighat Patachitra
The demand for Company painting had begun to wane in the middle of the nineteenth
century. Before it had ceased completely, there emerged two separate native art styles
in Kolkata, one of painting that grew around the Kalighat temple in the south, and the
other, the practice of a particular type of woodcut printing in northern Kolkata called
Bat-tala. They were, as a matter of fact, inspired by the tradition of Bengal’s folk art
and the art of idol-making. A particular style of painting developed around the
Kalighat temple at the end of the eighteenth century and continued throughout the
whole of the nineteenth century which later became celebrated as Kalighat Patachitra.
With the expansion and prosperity of Kolkata as the capital city of colonial India the
number of devotees and worshippers also began to rise. Colonial rule had disrupted
the traditional balance of rural life in India and patuas started to lose their professions.