|
|
|
|
|
|
The immortal inheritance of
Indian Culture has moulded its
artists of the people, joyful
exciting, intricate in
imagination intuitively
creating, but each with its
individuality of his own. This
is the expression that found
incarnation in the traditional
masters of arts and artifacts of
West Bengal. Here cheek by jowl
are stacked the wonderful worlds
of our weavers, potters,
metal-wrights, shell-artists,
carvers in wood, bone or stone.
And these amazing variety of
creation, the aesthetic, varied,
living pulsating life are
expressed in vibrant collections
of colour, hue, tone, shape and
size.
|
|
Artistic Leather
Craft
A fine example of
contemporary art and
craft, the Bengal
leather crafts owe
their widespread
popularity and
development due to
some innovative work
done by gifted
artists at
Santiniketan. |
|
Brass & Bell
Metal
A many-splendoured
craft of West
Bengal. Handed down
to generations of
metalworkers. From
domestic utensils
for everyday use to
vessels for
observance of
rituals, the
emphasis is always
on strength of form.
Copper, one of the
earliest known
metals was
transformed into
alloys like bronze,
brass and bell metal
by Indian
metallurgists of
Harappan times.
Archaeological
evidence indicates
that Bengal’s
metallurgists too
were practicing the
art and science of
metal workings as
early as 2nd
millennium B.C.
Artisans of Bankura,
Bishnupur, Ghatal
and Chandanpur in
Midnapore, have a
superb lineage of
shaped and engraved
brass and bell metal
work. |
|
Cane & Bamboo
From the depths of
time and the
earliest chapters of
civilization, comes
a craft that
endures. Bengal’s
very own tradition
in creating everyday
and fancy articles
from bamboo and
cane, is rich and
varied. More than
35,000 artisans
practise this craft
in different
districts of rural
Bengal. |
|
Ceramic
This is a radition
built up in
contemporary
times-several
centuries of
interaction with
foreign craftsmen
and a legacy left us
by many years of
British rule. The
craft, however, is
today flourishing in
and around Calcutta
and in some places
in Birbhum district.
New ceramic
technologies have
joined hands with a
heritage of
handicrafts to
produce a range of
fine, glazed ceramic
products for
decoration, dolly,
toys, wall-hangings,
household pottery
and industrial
application. |
|
Clay Dolls
Clay fantasies of
real-life stylized,
sometimes even
graphic in their
representations,
mark traditional
Indian clay dolls
and toys. But the
dolls and figurines
of Krishnanagar in
Bengal, are unique
in their realism and
the quality of their
finish. Patronized
by Maharaja
Krishnachandra
himself in the late
18th century, they
truly represent a
breakaway from the
traditional form. |
|
Dokra
Nomadic tribes who
roam the earth
restlessly - what
permanence do they
leave us with, as a
mark of their
passage ? The Dokra
or Dhokra group of
tribal craftsmen who
range through the
landscapes of
Bengal, Orissa,
Madhya Pradesh and
Andhra Pradesh –
give us a timeless
heritage of
beautifully shaped
and ornamented
products of cast
metals. The Bikna
group of Dokra
artisans of Bankura
and the Dariapur
group of Burdwan,
were rehabilitated
in the sixties.
There are similar
concentrations at
Kharagpur in
Midnapore and Malda. |
|
Horn Work
The early pages of
Indian civilization
are full of
descriptions of
‘horn combs’ which
adorned the tresses
of women in ancient
times. In shining
black and
translucent shades
of greys, Bengal
horn work is still a
fascinating craft. |
|
Jute Products
Jute, the ‘golden
fibre’ has
traditionally been
woven and knotted
and braided by women
of Bengal, often for
domestic storage.
Jute as a fabric was
much popular in
ancient times. Today
Bengal is not only a
major producer of
jute goods ranging
from pllush
jute-blended
carpets, to
decorative
tapestries, garden
pot hangings,
decorative hand
bags, bedspreads and
more. In 50 villages
of the Kaliaganj
area in West
Dinajpur, the
process of colouring,
weaving of jute on
single looms goes
on, as the world
outside turns once
again to this
wonderful natural
fibre. |
|
Masks & Puppets
Once upon a time,
priests masqueraded
as gods, demons or
spirits. Sorcerers
and wizards wove
their spells. Today
they are more
popular as items of
interior decoration.
In Bengal, masks
used by the Chhou
dancers of Purulia
and those who
perform the Gambhira
dances of Malda,
actually represent
the theatrical
tradition. While the
masks used in Devil
Dances and other
socio-religious
festivals of
Darjeeling and
Tibet, are colourful
relics of
priesthood. |
|
Papier Mache
Papier mache is not
a craft traditional
to this state. The
Santiniketan school
of artists did some
pioneering work in
introducing this
craft in West
Bengal. Today quite
a number of
craftsmen in and
around Calcutta have
taken up the craft
and their products
mainly dolls and
masks, have found a
market for their
beauty in designs
and excellence in
craftsmanship. |
|
Sandalwood
Carving
Once upon a time,
elephant tusks were
carved into great
and tiny delicate
pieces of art by
master craftsmen of
Khagra and Jiaganj
in Murshidabad
district. But then
the elephant
population stood
threatened,
ecological disaster
became imminent and
so a ban came upon
ivory. But that did
not stop the
wizardry of the
craftsmen. Their
deft fingers found
the aromatic, oily
sandalwood as an
ideal substitute.
And so those
legendary ivory
creations grew in
sandalwood. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
