Rama, Lakshmana and Ahalya
1890
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1890
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Rama, Lakshmana and Ahalya is a 1890 paint by Unknown, a Impressionism work, depicting Kalighat, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows three figures standing on a rocky surface. Two men in bright yellow and red robes with gold crowns stand side by side, holding sticks. One man with a long beard and dark hair sits on the rock, holding a red object in his hand, while a woman kneels beside him. The background is mostly plain, with some faint purple shading. The figures look flat and bold, with strong outlines and bright colors. The script at the bottom is in a language that isn’t English. This style is called *kalighat*, a type of Indian folk painting. If you like this, check out more about kalighat.
A watercolor and tin-alloy painting on paper from 1890 illustrates a scene from the Ramayana in which Rama and Lakshmana free Ahalya from a curse imposed by her husband. The work belongs to the Kalighat painting tradition, which emerged in Calcutta during the 19th century among artists who migrated from rural Bengal. Kalighat paintings are characterized by bold colors, simplified forms, and rapid brushwork. The genre developed as a popular visual response to local myths, social practices, and colonial-era tensions.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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