KG 309

KALIGHAT PAINTING. Hidden Lies - The scene depicted is both comical and astute at the same time. A Kalighat painting holds up a mirror to its contemporary life- both in the open and behind closed doors. It often employs the trope of caricature humour to highlight the happenings of its times. Here a woman is shown with a man-faced sheep on a leash. Clearly, this is a work that is a commentary on the roles and interactions between the sexes. The woman with a heavy bosom and made up face is wearing a red sari. The shading and drapes lend it a richness which is enhanced further by the ornaments on her body. She is holding a red rose in one hand and the leash on the other. The man-faced creature looks up longingly at the woman with a glance that conveys obedience. He is wearing a hat which makes it both comical and real. The modern man with a modern woman, possibly in a scenario where traditional gender roles have been reversed.