This winter, Kolkata has warmed up to a vibrant revival of distinctive woodcut prints also known as Bat–tala paintings, reimagined by a host of contemporary artists. Art Magnum, in partnership with the Birla Academy of Art and Culture, has organised an exhibition titled “Tribute to Bat–tala: The Tradition of Bat–tala & Other Practices by the Printmakers” as part of the Bengal Biennale 2024. Curated by renowned art historian Ina Puri, the exhibition celebrates the legacy of 19th-century Bat–tala woodcut prints while showcasing contemporary interpretations by innovative printmakers.

Featuring works that blend traditional craftsmanship with experimental techniques, this exhibition connects the historical significance of Bat–tala with the evolving practices of modern printmaking. Scholarly contributions from Soumik Nandy Majumdar featured in their published magazine, and collector Sanjeet Chowdhury, offer viewers profound insights into the art form’s enduring significance. Co-curators Ananda Moy Banerji, Dattatreya Apte and Sushanta Guha have also contributed to this display, which underlines Kolkata’s prominence in the global art scene.

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Mediums like intaglio, lithography, linocut, sunmica etching, monoprints and intaglio on board have been used in the paintings exhibited at the display.

“Artists were invited to explore possibilities of hand-painted wood block prints and relate to the technical, conceptual perspectives through the lens of contemporary times. Included herein are traditional and experimental practices, from pure brush painted woodcut to digital improvisation,” says curator Ina Puri.

The exhibition also features woodcut paintings on canvas adorned with gold, silver and copper leaf. One of the paintings offers a heartfelt social commentary, calling for justice for Tilottama, the trainee doctor brutally raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, in the early hours of 9 August this year.

Open to the public until 22 December 2024 at Birla Academy of Art and Culture, this exhibition invites art lovers to explore the dynamic interplay between tradition and innovation.

Legacy of Bat–tala print and paintings

The term “Bat–tala” (derived from the banyan tree, or bat in Bengali, coupled with the suffix tala) denotes the shaded expanse beneath the tree or the entire locality it symbolises. Emerging in the early 19th century, Bat–tala woodcut illustrations flourished as a prominent artistic enterprise during the pre-print era. The corpus of books produced in this format spanned an eclectic array of genres, encompassing panjika (almanacs), epics, as well as schoolbooks, primers, biographies, plays, poetry, novels, jatra texts, treatises on animal husbandry, culinary guides and even manuals on photography.

Nestled within the bustling cacophony of 19th-century Kolkata, Bat–tala emerged as an extraordinary crucible of art, literature and indigenous expression. This unassuming hub—often relegated to the fringes of elite historiography—birthed a distinctive artistic phenomenon: the Bat–tala print and paintings. Eclipsed by the grandeur of colonial lithographs and academic art movements, this genre occupies a sui generis position, melding vernacular aesthetics with unbridled creativity.

The locus of Bat–tala’s artistic flourishing was a vibrant quarter near Chitpore in north Kolkata, a neighbourhood pulsating with life and steeped in eclecticism. This enclave became synonymous with inexpensive lithographs, hand-painted illustrations and ephemeral publications catering to the burgeoning middle class. Unlike the grandiloquent salons of the British Empire, Bat–tala thrived on democratising art, making it accessible to the masses without diluting its esoteric charm.

In the mid-19th century, Bat–tala workshops utilised rudimentary printing presses, woodblocks and hand-painted scrolls to produce arresting visual narratives. These artefacts, often created with striking immediacy, celebrated themes from mythological epics, devotional texts, bawdy satires and social commentaries. The art was a paradoxical amalgamation of rustic fervour and sophisticated iconography, serving as both an educational tool and a repository of popular imagination. Noteworthy illustrated works, such as Anandamangal, Pashvabali, Sangeet Tarang and Batrish Simhasana, exemplify the artistic ingenuity of this era. Subsequently, Bat–tala printing bifurcated into two distinct trajectories: the production of periodicals and the continued publication of panjika. Renowned for its affordability, Bat–tala art and literature found widespread patronage among the lower-middle classes of Bengali society, cementing its role as a cultural and intellectual cornerstone accessible to the masses.

Artistry and aesthetics: A sublime vernacular vocabulary  

Bat–tala prints and paintings were unpretentious yet profoundly evocative. The visual idiom—characterised by bold line work, exaggerated facial expressions and a penchant for dramatic storytelling—resonated deeply with the ethos of the Bengali populace. Artists deftly juxtaposed divine iconography with quotidian realities, blending the sacred and the profane with seamless audacity.

Themes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Mangalkavyas were transmuted into visual splendour, often adorned with earthy pigments and intricate patterns. Yet, Bat–tala’s repertoire wasn’t limited to divine glorification. It also indulged in satirical critiques of societal hypocrisies, especially targeting the newly Anglicised ‘babus’ of Kolkata. This duality—oscillating between reverence and irreverence—rendered Bat–tala a microcosm of colonial Bengal’s conflicted identity.

The production of Bat–tala art epitomised a confluence of indigenous craftsmanship and proto-industrial innovation. Woodblock printing, a cornerstone of this tradition, allowed for the replication of designs with astounding precision. The process involved meticulous carving of wooden blocks, which were inked and pressed onto paper. Skilled artisans often added hand-painted embellishments to enhance the visual appeal, imbuing each piece with a unique aura. Bat–tala artists were, at their core, consummate engravers—artisans who meticulously sculpted woodblocks to create exquisite prints. A close examination of these works reveals the remarkable dexterity of these craftsmen. Beyond the act of engraving, Bat–tala prints are distinguished by their thematic ingenuity, ornamental flourishes and the emergence of the artist’s signature—an assertion of individuality and professionalism. Renowned engravers such as Nrityalal Dutta, Kashinath Mistry, Hiralal Karmakar, Harihar Bandyopadhyay, Gopinath Swarnakar and Kartik Chandra stand as paragons of this tradition.

Colonial Calcutta’s earliest printing presses, predominantly owned by Europeans, were concentrated in the precincts opposite Fort William. However, Bat–tala engravers brought a distinctive identity to their craft, often inscribing their names, press affiliations and engraving locations onto the final woodcut prints. This practice not only authenticated their work but also celebrated the local ingenuity of Bengal’s artisans.

However, the advent of lithography in Kolkata presented both a challenge and an opportunity. While it threatened to overshadow Bat–tala’s handcrafted ethos, it also inspired a hybrid aesthetic. Some workshops began incorporating lithographic techniques alongside traditional methods, resulting in a dynamic interplay of form and function.

Decline and resurgence  

The ascendancy of industrialised printing and the growing preference for Westernised art forms in the late 19th century heralded a decline in Bat–tala’s prominence. Yet, its artistic legacy refused to fade into oblivion. Today, woodcut blocks and presses from that era are a rarity, their survival thwarted by Bengal’s humid climate, which accelerates the deterioration of paper and wood. Additionally, the super-thin, acidic paper commonly used for Bat–tala prints further imperiled their longevity. The decline of the woodcut tradition coincided with the rise of lithographic printing in the 1880s, which commanded greater market demand. Pioneering artists such as Annada Prasad Bagchi sought to adapt to these changing tides. In 1878, Bagchi, alongside contemporaries Nabakumar Biswas, Phanibhushan Sen and Yogendranath Mukhopadhyay, established the Calcutta Art Studio near Bowbazar. This institution heralded a new era of artistic production, marking the transition from handcrafted woodcut prints to the burgeoning lithographic industry—a transition that reshaped Calcutta’s visual culture.

Distinguished artist Somnath Hore established the first independent graphics department at the Indian School of Arts in 1954, followed by the creation of printmaking departments at Delhi’s College of Art and Visva Bharati, Santiniketan. Meanwhile, Manjit Bawa set up printmaking studios at Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal. Other collectives also emerged across various cities, including the Shilalekh Group (1957), Society of Contemporary Artists (1960), Group 8 (1968), The Realist Group (1980s and ’90s), the Indian Printmakers Guild (1990) and Multiple Encounters (2004).

In contemporary times, Bat–tala art has experienced a renaissance, celebrated as an emblem of Bengal’s cultural resilience. The artefacts are now regarded as invaluable archives of a bygone era—testaments to an indigenous aesthetic unbowed by colonial hegemony.

Photographs by ANWESHA SANTRA

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