Kalighat Scroll

Kalighat painting emerged in the interface between migrant folk artists and a burgeoning metropolis – Calcutta. They adapted their styles of painting to suit the tastes of the people who visited Kalighat, some of whom were pilgrims but many were just ‘tourists’. The painters catered to many different tastes, painting gods and goddesses from the Hindu pantheon but also secular themes including local scandals and news items. Some of the favourite subjects of the Kalighat painters involved representations of decadence and the erotic - such as actresses and dancers who performed on the modern stage and men of the new middle class and their mistresses.

Kalam, in his paintings in the Kalighat style, often depicts more contemporary subjects but retains the flavour of decadent eroticism. Thus even his ‘scroll painting’ in the Lota shop has scenes where craftsmen are seen bargaining with potential customers, some of them dressed in the latest fashion such as hipster jeans and so on. Amidst the homely craft objects we also see a lifesize mannequin – a female figure assembled from lotas in various sizes. He has assembled a human figure out of lota-like shapes. He has chosen the traditional Birbhum format of pata (scroll) painting but has introduced some of the satirical elements that are usually associated with the Kalighat style.