This painting "BON BIBI" meaning the Queen of the Jungle is inspired by the Kalighat painting or Kalighat Pat style of painting.

This style of painting originated in 19th-century Bengal and in and around the Kalighat Kali temple in Kolkata. In the 19th century, the only school of painting that flourished in Bengal was the traditional art of scroll painting. These paintings were done on cloth or patas and covered subjects of gods and goddesses and scenes from Tulsidas's Ram Charita Manas.

The artists were villagers who travelled from place to place with their scroll paintings. They described the scenes from the epics depicted in the paintings through songs during village gatherings and festivals. These artists were known as "patua's" or " painters on cloth". It is said that the religion of these artists was half Hindu and half Muslim and they practiced Islam. Around this time British too introduced the European techniques of painting and Kalighat painting emerged to be a unique blend of both styles. The charm of these paintings is that these paintings capture the simplicity of daily life.

This painting "BON BIBI" is done with Coloured Pencils on Fabriano Accademia paper. This painting is based on the traditional Kalighat style.

More paintings in the Kalighat style are available on this website.

Read more about Kalighat Paintings in this Blog post.

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