My Account Log in

1 option

The Rāmāyana in Bengali folk paintings / Mandakranta Bose.

Fine Arts Library ND3399.V33 B67 2017
Loading location information...

Available This item is available for access.

Log in to request item
Format:
Book
Author/Creator:
Bose, Mandakranta, 1938- author.
Language:
Bengali
English
Subjects (All):
Vālmīki. Rāmāyaṇa--Illustrations.
Vālmīki.
Illumination of books and manuscripts--India--West Bengal.
Illumination of books and manuscripts.
Miniature painting, Indic.
Folk art--India--West Bengal.
Folk art.
Rāmāyaṇa (Vālmīki).
India--West Bengal.
Genre:
Illustrated works.
Pictures.
Physical Description:
139 pages : color illustrations ; 24 cm
Place of Publication:
New Delhi, India : Niyogi Books, 2017.
Language Note:
Includes verses in Bengali (Latin) with English translations.
Summary:
The images presented in this book take us into the heart of the rich folk tradition of India. Of that heritage, the display of paintings accompanied by comments recited or sung has been a part of since very early times, as attested by references and legends in Sanskrit sources, including the Harsacarita, a 7th century work by Banabhatta. Known as patacitras or patas in short, these illustrated narratives on rectangular fabric or paper as well as on scrolls are a type of performed art that reaches out to audiences, mostly rural, conveying the artists' responses to legends and social themes of common knowledge across a wide range of audiences from varied social and cultural bases. A particularly powerful class of such paintings that come from the Bengali-speaking region of eastern India comprise the depiction of events from the Ramayana in the form of scrolls that are unrolled as the painter displays and explicates them. The vividly colourful images presented in this book occupy a special niche in the history of Indian art, remarkable because they are not only visual objects but narrative expositions of a text that has been part of vast numbers of the Indian people and often their source of moral guidance. Especially remarkable is that these patas by Bengali folk painters diverge so often from the magisterial Ramayanas of adikavi "First Poet" Valmiki, leave out important parts of it and import into the Rama saga episodes from local narrative caches.
Contents:
The Narrative Tradition of Indian Painting and the Ramayana 29
The Bengali Patuas: History, Background and Style 41
Songs of the Patuas 51
The Ramayana of the Bengali Patuas 63
Book I 70
Book II 81
Book III 83
Book IV 92
Book V 95
Book VI 98
Book VII 116
Summing up 128
References 131.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 131-134) and index.
ISBN:
9789385285554
9385285556
OCLC:
967550781

The Penn Libraries is committed to describing library materials using current, accurate, and responsible language. If you discover outdated or inaccurate language, please fill out this feedback form to report it and suggest alternative language.

Find

Home Release notes

My Account

Shelf Request an item Bookmarks Fines and fees Settings

Guides

Using the Find catalog Using Articles+ Using your account