BPSC 66th Mains (GS - I: History)
Art & Culture - Patna Kalam
1. Bring out the main features of Patna Qulam. (66th BPSC Mains 2021)
2. Examine the salient features of Patna Kalam painting style. (63rd BPSC Mains 2019)
3. Bring out the salient features of the Patna Kalam Painting. (56-59th BPSC Mains 2016)
4. Discuss the salient features of Patna Kalam and Painting style. (48-52nd BPSC 2009)
5. Discuss the chief characteristics of the Patna Kalam's Painting. (46th BPSC 2005)
Approach
- Brief intro about Patna Kalam Painting.
- Origin of Patna Kalam Painting.
- Main features of Patna Kalam Painting.
- Present day condition and conclusion.
Patna school of Painting also known as Patna Kalam (Patna Qulam/Patna Qalaam) or Company Painting is a regional style of Painting which existed in Bihar. It is the offshoot of Mughal Painting with some European influence which flourished in the 18th and 19th century in Bihar.
Origin of Patna Kalam -
Patna Kalam traced its origin from Mughal Painting. During the reign of Jahangir, Mughal Painting flourished by leaps and bounds but during the reign of Aurangzeb in the late 17th and early 18th century, artisans faced mass prosecution and aversion in art and painting due to the lack of patronage from the Mughal emperor.
As such, the painters from Delhi started to look for shelter and patronage in different places. One such group moved eastward and settled in Murshidabad (capital of Bengal) under the patronage of Nawab of Bengal and other local chieftains.
But with the fall of Bengal in mid 18th century, artisans moved to the next biggest city in the east, i.e., Patna where they get the patronage of local chieftains as well as some Europeans including British East India Company. Thus, a new unique form of painting emerged which has the elements of both Mughal Style (Persian Style) of Painting and British style, which is known as Patna Kalam or Company Painting.
Main features/characteristics of Patna Kalam Painting -
1. Amalgamation of two different style of painting - It is an amalgamation of Persian style of Painting and British style of Painting. The colours and lining of the painting can be seen to be adopted from Mughal Style whereas the shading can be seen to be adopted from British Style.
2. Miniature Painting - Most of the paintings of Patna Kalam falls under the category of Miniature made on paper. Later, it was also made on ivory and mica.
3. Subject of Painting - Unlike the Mughal Paintings which focused mainly on royalty and court scenes, the subjects of this painting was deeply influenced by daily life of common people. Local festivals, ceremonies, bazaar (market) scene, common people such as carpenters, blacksmiths, etc were the main subjects of Patna Kalam.
4. Unlike the Mughal Painting which has wide and exquisitely decorated borders, Patna Kalam Painting primarily focused on the subject of the Painting.
5. Lack of Landscape - Another unique feature of the Patna Kalam Painting is the lack of landscape, foreground or background.
6. Kajli Seahi - Patna Kalam Paintings are painted straight way with the brush without marking with pencil or outlining the contours of the picture. This technique of painting is commonly known as 'Kajli Seahi'.
7. Materials used in painting - The colours used in the paintings were extracted from indigenously grown plants and flowers, metals, soils and charcoal. The paint brush was made from the hairs of squirrel.
8. The paintings of the Patna Kalam have been characterised by the use of soft and calm colours instead of bright and vibrant colours.
After attaining fame and glory for about a century, Patna Kalam Painting gradually declined due to the lack of patronage from the colonial government and Indian government after independence. It flourished as long as its western patron existed.
But now the government of Bihar made an attempt to revive this 200 years old heritage of Patna Kalam by publishing it in the official calendar in 2010. The objective behind this is to make people aware about the exquisite paintings of Patna Kalam.
Paintings of Patna Kalam
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Notes to boost your Preparation
Optional Notes
Note - This is my Vision IAS Notes (Vision IAS Class Notes) and Ashutosh Pandey Sir's Public Administration Class notes. I've also added some of the information on my own.
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