Group : Shubhankar Chakraborty and Daniel Maradona
Topic: Terracotta Traditions in Temples of Bengal
Idea: Focusing on the sites of Bishnupur in Bankura district and Autpur and Banshberia in Hoogly district, he aimed for a comparative analysis between the temple embellishments of the aforementioned sites. The deference and difference in the decoration and depiction in these terracotta plaques remained their main focus.
Process:Day 1
Initially they were engaged in discussions on the specific visual material for their topic. The area of their research was remote and lot of materials and literary sources were indigenous to the region of Bengal. Thus, the first step was to get Daniel acquainted with the cultural specificities of Bengal and other nuances related with the topic. After the preliminary discussions on visual materials they attempted to focus on the theoretical framework of the show. At the private session with Rahul Sir, they ended up with the framework of research. They were going to analyze the terracotta embellishment and its history on the basis of the four modes of production. Labour, Capital, Technology and Land were the basis on which they were about to compare the art activity of using terracotta embellishments in Bengal.
Day 2
The second day started with them continuing our previous activities. Daniel continued to gather visual references to understand the relation of Bengali culture with the imageries in the terracotta plaques. In this case, he took aid from the vast visual repertoire of Kalighat paintings, Company paintings and also some works of artists from Bengal school. Subhankar summarized the informations from Bengali literary sources and provided them to Daniel for a better understanding of the area of research.
Next, they attempted to theorize their knowledge on the basis of the four modes of production. In this case they found the source of economic production and political equations as other important basis in which the art activity needs to be compared.
Four modes of production
- Monetary – grant for lands and also direct patronage by Malla kings in Bishnupur and Zamindars in Hoogly
- Social and cultural – appeasement of tribal and lower classes and also the religious compulsion of patrons.
Labour
craftsmen village – representatives of common people and lower class – marginal narratives
Land – similar to capital
Technology – same in comparison of the sites
Other important basis for judging our materials
Mode of economy – source of economy
Agrarian in Hoogly while Bishnupur was a trade center
Political equations – compulsion of patrons to maintain their political allainces with religious personages, Mughals, Colonials and other power centres
After their analysis they ended up with the crux of their theoretical framework in the form of a question. This question formed the central problem that they aimed to attend in their curation.(What are the dynamics of a structure*? How does the structure* change when all the components are perforated with each other and are prone to newer influences?
*Here, by the term structure they mean the theoretical notion of the Embellishment structure.
Day 3
On the 3rd day they started generating the keywords and the critical terms they need to address in reference to their area of research. After researching on those critical terms, they started composing a curatorial proposal (as asked by Rahul Sir) where they merged the specific characteristics of their research area with their theoretical concerns.
Keywords:
Multiple cultures as components
Identities merging and evolving
Dynamics of dialogue and their non-exclusiveness
The politics of the craftsmen/artisans
Narrative structure, design structure, embellishment structure
Themes
‘Economic’, ‘political’, ‘social’, ‘religious’ and ‘cultural’ - interconnected and layered
Day 4
After the private session with Rahul Sir at the end of Day 3 they were advised to present our theoretical framework in the form of mind-maps. This proved to be an important activity as it helped us in exploring various interrelationships between different concerns in their area of research.
Day 5
After a series of mind-maps, they found that different concerns evolved or vanished or were dominated by other concerns. On their last session at day 3 Rahul sir asked them to look into the aspect of material as a signifier and the element of locality in the Bengal terracotta temples. Thus, the whole of day 4 went with us brainstorming, justifying and contextualizing the element of materiality and locality in their research. (materiality process)
Day 6
- At the end of day 5, they concluded that material was an aesthetic choice for the terracotta temples in Bengal. It carried the meaning of fertility rituals as well as a local identity for the patrons and the craftsmen. Based on this they created our final info-graphic representation through a mind-map which was approved by Rahul sir.
The
mind maps for the following group are:
The digitalised mind maps are:
Books and Articles Referered:
Books and Articles Referered:
- Ghosh, Pika. "Gems in the crown of Bengal: The creation of Ratna temples and Gaudiya Vaishnava identity." (1999).
- McLean, M. D. "Pika Ghosh, Temple to Love: Architecture and Devotion in Seventeenth-century Bengal." International Journal of Hindu Studies 10.1 (2006): 111-112.
- Sengupta, Arputha Rani. Art of Terracotta: Cult and Cultural Synthesis in India. Agam Kala Prakashan, 2005.
- McCutchion, David. Late Mediaeval Temples of Bengal: Origins and Classification. Vol. 20. Calcutta: Asiatic Society, 1972.
- Deloche, Jean, and SN MITRA. "Boats and Ships in Bengal Terracotta Art."Bulletin de l'École française d'Extrême-Orient 78 (1991): 1-49.
- Mangaonkar, Priyanka. "Terracotta temples of Bishnupur: Transformation through time and Technology." Chitrolekha International Magazine on Art and Design 1.2 (2011).
- Burton-Page, John. "Brick temples of Bengal from the archives of David McCutchion. Edited by George Michell. pp. xviii, 254.[12] maps, 178 pl. Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press.[1983].£ 75.00." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland (New Series) 119.01 (1987): 148-150.
- Das Chittaranjan. “Bharotiyo terracottar poriprekhite Bishnupur terracotta”; Bishnupur purakriti bhavan
- Bankura jelar purakriti; Tathya o Sanskriti Bibhag, Paschimbanga Sarkar
- Hoogly jelar purakriti; Tathya o Sanskriti Bibhag, Paschimbanga Sarkar
- Hoogli jelar itihas; Tathya o Sanskriti Bibhag, Paschimbanga Sarkar
- Paschimbanga; Hoogly jela sankhya; vol. 38-43; Tathya o Sanskriti Bibhag, Paschimbanga Sarkar
- Banglar terracottar itihas; Srila Basu
- Kramrisch, Stella. Exploring India'S Sacred Art Selected Writings Of Stella Kramrisch Ed. & With A Biographical Essay. Motilal Banarsidass Publishe, 1994.
- Mukherjee, Binode Behari. Chitrakar: The Artist. Seagull Books Pvt Ltd, 2006.
- Kelly’s encyclopedia of aesthetics
- Edited by Paul Smith and Caroline Wilde; A companion to Art theory, Blackwell publishing
- Edited by Charles Harrison and Paul wood; Art in theory 1900-1990
- M. A. Dissertations of Rahul Bhattacharya and Pervez Kabir
- Hall, Stuart. "Cultural identity and diaspora." (1990): 37.
- http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft3n39n8x3&chunk.id=d0e1212&brand=ucpress
- Christina Murdoch Mills; Materiality as the Basis for the Aesthetic Experience in Contemporary Art The University of Montana; 2009
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