THE GLORY & DECLINE OF PATNA KALAM

The influence of two different styles - Mughal and British -produced one unique style in the form of Patna Kalam incorporating great aesthetic beauty and exuberant consciousness

Bihar is known for its highly stylised Mithila or Madhubani paintings, but very few of us are aware of an equally popular school of painting, which has survived in the region for more than 200 years the Patna Kalam. Also called Patna School of Painting, or Patna Qalaam, or Company Painting, the style existed in Bihar in the 18th and 19th centuries. This style combined elements of the Mughal and British styles of paintings so well that it was called the Feringhee Kalam (White man's art). Inspired by three distinct schools of painting: Persian, Mughal, and British, it was the world's first independent school of painting, which dealt exclusively with the commoner and his lifestyle, which also helped Patna Kalam paintings gain popularity. On the demand of European clients, all these paintings were based on Indian life. Thus, the subjects of these paintings had always been the common man and his mundane routines. Daily labourers, fish-sellers, basket makers dominate the subject of these paintings. Patnia Ekka (horse-cart) is one of the oldest surviving paintings, still present in Patna Museum. For the first time, there was a rich coherence between realism and visual perspective. The paintings caught the connoisseurs' eye for their clear stylistic difference and unusual use of watercolours. The paintings were done on surfaces as diverse as paper, mica and even ivory diskettes that were used as brooches. The painters even made their own handmade paper Basali Kagaz, a coat of colour was generally given to prevent the colour from spreading.