Parasurama and Rama
1890
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1890
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Parasurama and Rama is a 1890 paint by Unknown, a Impressionism work, depicting Kalighat, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows two men standing side by side. The one on the left has a blue face, a mustache, and a red cloth wrapped around his waist. He holds a curved sword. The man on the right wears a bright yellow and red outfit with a red crown on his head, and he’s holding a sword too. The painting uses bold colors and simple shapes, with flat areas of blue, red, and yellow. The figures look stiff, almost like cut-outs, with little shading. Look up kalighat to see more paintings like this one.
This 1890 watercolour and tin alloy painting on paper depicts the mythological confrontation between Parasurama and Rama, who are shown competing in a test of archery using Vishnu’s bow. The work belongs to the Kalighat tradition, a popular art form that emerged in 19th-century Calcutta, characterized by bold colors, simplified forms, and rapid brushwork. Kalighat artists often illustrated local myths, customs, and social tensions during the period when Calcutta served as the capital of British India. The painting reflects the cultural synthesis and narrative themes typical of this regional…
Read the full account in the museum source.
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