Kalighat Paintings

Kalighat paintings originated in 19th Century West Bengal, in the vicinity of the Kalighat temple in Kolkata. The themes represented by Kalighat Patuas are not merely mythological but also come from their own contemporary social life, often with satirical ends which remains a significant source of the social history of that period. The themes of Kalighat paintings are like the decadent culture of the nouveau riche (the floppish babu culture), their sexual exploits, the hypocrisy of the priests and even events like a man fighting a tiger or so one. The paintings are characterised by line drawings, the outlines of which are made with bold and elegant brush strokes. With shaded contours, the paintings have a plaque like effect.