Page 273 - Art and Crafts of Bangladesh

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WOMEN ARTISTS

Lala Rukh Selim

We have to adjust our perspective to a certain extent, to evaluate the art of women
artists of any country. This is because in the course of history, with the establishment
of patriarchy and a society ruled by men, the language and expression of art by women
has flowed in a particular direction which is quite distinct from that of men. This
important aspect is always to be kept in mind when viewing and judging the art of
women. Women occupy a special place in society which is segregated from the public,
in the interior of the household. Her labor is used for the needs of patriarchy and she
is creating art but it is far from the public eye and in very ephemeral materials. She
works in the family workshop, unknown to the public. Women are forbidden entrance
fig. 7.1 Moulds for where there exists communication with the external world. That is why we do not see
sweetmeats, after the works of women on the walls of temples, in brick, stone or wood. The entrance of
Amiyakumar women in numbers into the world of high art in Bengal is quite recent. From the very
Bandapadhaya, beginning of history, we find women working in a small space, giving expression to
Bangalakshmir Jhanpi, her aesthetics in very humble material which is created for the well-being and
(Calcutta 1386 Bengali satisfaction of loved ones and society. Art is always created from exchanges between
year) humans and society. The language of art of all the peoples of a society is not the same;
aesthetic satisfaction and needs are not the same. That is why folk art is always in the
process of evolving alongside mainstream or classical art and taking a variety of
forms. Robert Skelton says, it is universally accepted that the common people of
Bengal use the cheapest and most easily available materials for their art. Most
products are created for short-term use in seasonal and household rites and as toys for
children. He has made this statement in the context of folk art. Yet this is even more
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meaningful in the case of women artists because they not only use cheap and readily
available material, the material they use is temporary, created to be consumed or
destroyed. Thus the art they create from the kitchen, such as – pitha (cakes), sandesh,
mithai (sweetmeats) etc. are created to be consumed (fig. 7.1). The huge difference
between these and the stone, wood, clay sculpture, manuscript and bookcover
illustrations of Bengal created under the patronage of the royal treasury or religious
establishment lies in the difference of their objective and expression. Women artists
create art for household rituals and for the total welfare of society. There is no direct
politics involved in this as we see in royal art. It is generally observed that women