The colours of traditional <i>pata-chitro</i> still dazzle
Potchitro or story telling through depicting images on canvas has always been a traditional form of art and entertainment. The trail goes a long way back to the Middle Ages when story telling was an important form of entertainment in Bengal. Poets told tales of gods, saints and the virtuous, of kings and queens, through their writings. Artists portrayed these verses through colours and motifs.
The age-old folk art survived centuries to tell the tale. It still continues to entertain the art enthusiasts. Drik gallery at Dhanmondi road not 27 organised an exhibition titled Life and Nature of potchita artist Raghunath Chakroborty.
The exhibition displays 45 pieces of Raghunath's work depicting everyday life of the rural people and the popular motifs of Bengal.
Raghunath Chakravarty does not have any academic training. He did however found inspiration from his mother and later on from renowned potchitro artist Shambhu Acharya. The stroke of the brush came to him naturally.
“I learned from my mother. She used to paint potchitro and decorate the house with alpona whenever there was an occasion”, he said.
“From then on I had colours in my mind. I just started to compose in my head and started with a brush one day”, he added.
Raghunath however personalised the art. From religious stories he moved on to everyday life of the rural people. From traditional practice of story telling on clay pots he moved to canvas. “I find it more attractive the lives of the ordinary folks, everyday struggle, the beauty of the rural landscape”, said Raghunath.
Raghunath's favourite theme is the eternal love between mother and child. In his work the theme keep coming back along with boat race, the weavers and the carpenters at work, rural wife's cooking preparation, the bangles seller lady, women fetching water, ethnic women at work and many more.
Use of bright colours has always been a basic feature of the potchitro. Raghunath did not improvise this part. Vibrant colours red, orange, yellow, green, blue, deep purple brightened his creations.
The seven-day exhibition started on 21 October and will continue till 27. It is open everyday from 11am to 8pm in the evening.
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