Jhuti Painting

As we descend the steps of the main entrance gate one’s eyes travel to the wall adjacent to the ramp that leads to the cafeteria that adjoins the shop. The painting on this wall consists of a series of trees in white, in the style of Orissa called Jhuti, usually painted on the walls of their homes by women as part of their annual rituals. The painting in this case has been executed by patachitra artist Akshaya Kumar Bariki, and his fellow artists, Sushanta Kumar Mohapatra, Narayan Pradhan and Mahindra Malik, all from Chandanpur.

The juxtaposition of highly stylized trees in patachitra style with free hand prints and rough brush strokes of the domestic alpona, is striking. Each of these paintings is framed by the vertical bars of the railing that is aligned to the ramp. It is as if these were window niches opening out to the scenery outside. A horizontal row of birds complete the trompe l’oeil effect. It seems as if they are sitting on the railing waiting to catch insects for their morning feed.