Village of Painters: Narrative Scrolls from West Bengal

by Frank J. Korom, Paul J. Smutko (Photographer)

Village of Painters profiles the West Bengali village of Naya, a small agricultural outpost that is home to a unique caste of itinerant scroll painters. The Patuas of West Bengal are a traditional artisan caste specializing in the production of painted narrative scrolls and the performance of songs to accompany their unrolling. These artisans have been plying their trade in this region of India at least since the thirteenth century and possibly earlier. The book features a wide range of contemporary scrolls and examines how their makers are keeping the art vibrantly alive in the rapidly changing cultural landscape of West Bengal.

119 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[zo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book about patuas very easy to read and nice to look through. It was a nice story to read, it’s not necessarily super factual, it’s written like a personal story which is really enjoyable. I wish there were more old patuas though presented in full form, like I would like to see more images I guess even though there were many.