Artist : Bhaskar Chitrakar
Title : Babu-Bibi 'selfie' with dog Medium : Natural colours on paper
Size : 11" x 15"
Year : 2024
"Kalighat patas” are a class of paintings on paper produced by ‘patuas’ in the neighbourhood of the famous Kali Temple in Calcutta in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Popular themes included Hindu deities, satirical portrayals of Englishmen and 'babus', historical events and incidents of daily life.
In recent times, one artist belonging to a family of patuas, Bhaskar Chitrakar of Kalighat, is reviving this style. This painting, done in powder pigments on paper, is a contemporary Kalighat, using the old style of paint and brushwork, where the Babu and Bibi are shown in traditional clothes, but are indulging in the very contemporary trend of taking a 'selfie',