The Policeman's bribe
Kalighat Painting
2010 (painted)
2010 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Contemporary Kalighat paintings are often painted to reflect real-life scenarios, in the same way that the 19th century examples reflected events of the time such as the Tarakeshwar scandal. This scene shows local policemen arresting a villager, and forcefully taking her by the arm towards the police car. Her friend stands behind her ready to bribe the officer with money to let her go.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Policeman's bribe (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Organic pigments on canvas. |
| Brief description | Kalighat painting 'The policeman's bribe' by Anwar Chitrakar, Medinipur, West Bengal, 2010. |
| Physical description | The painting is on a large rectangular canvas. Unusually for a Kalighat painting, there are multiple characters - six in total. The three women depicted are village women, in traditional saris and large jewellery. The policemen are dressed in the khaki outfits of the West Bengal goverment police. The artist has included trees and a road as background scenery. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | The canvas surface absorbs watercolour differently, creating a shinier and more opaque look. Contemporary Kalighat paintings are often painted to reflect real-life scenarios, in the same way that the 19th century examples reflected events of the time such as the Tarakeshwar scandal. This scene shows local policemen arresting a villager, and forcefully taking her by the arm towards the police car. Her friend stands behind her ready to bribe the officer with money to let her go. (October 2011 - May 2012) |
| Summary | Contemporary Kalighat paintings are often painted to reflect real-life scenarios, in the same way that the 19th century examples reflected events of the time such as the Tarakeshwar scandal. This scene shows local policemen arresting a villager, and forcefully taking her by the arm towards the police car. Her friend stands behind her ready to bribe the officer with money to let her go. |
| Bibliographic reference | Sinha, Suhashini, and Panda, C, eds. Kalighat Paintings from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2012. ISBN 1851776656.
p.105 cat.no.95 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.49-2011 |
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| Record created | November 16, 2011 |
| Record URL |
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