{"product_id":"lady-playing-a-stringed-instrument-in-kalighat-by-anwar-chitrakar","title":"Lady Playing a Stringed Instrument in Kalighat by Anwar Chitrakar","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis evocative Kalighat painting by Anwar Chitrakar portrays a female musician playing a stylised stringed instrument, her figure calmly anchored at the centre of the composition. Through bold contour lines, saturated colour, and a restrained sense of depth, the work distills a musical moment into a clear, iconic image.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKalighat Painting is a traditional folk art form from Kolkata, West Bengal, known for its bold brushstrokes, expressive figures, and minimalistic compositions. It is characterized by strong flowing outlines, vibrant colours, and themes ranging from Hindu mythology to social satire and scenes of everyday urban life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt the heart of this composition is a single figure: the musician seated cross-legged on the floor, holding the stringed instrument close to her body as she plays. Her lower body is shown frontally, while her torso and face turn into a three-quarter profile, creating a gentle twist that introduces movement without disturbing the overall stability of the pose. She is draped in an amber-yellow sari, its folds articulated with orange and brown shading and contained by a crisp black border that defines her silhouette.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHer facial features follow the characteristic Kalighat vocabulary: a large, elongated eye heavily outlined in black with a fish-like curve, arched eyebrows, a long prominent nose, and small, precisely drawn lips. The slightly lowered eyelids suggest an inward focus, as if she is quietly listening to the music she produces rather than directly engaging the viewer. She is adorned with traditional jewellery including a necklace, earrings, bangles, anklets, an armband, and a maang-tika, and her hair is neatly tied and styled, reinforcing her composed presence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe space immediately around her is carefully structured. She sits on a green mat patterned in a bandhani-like dotted design, which introduces a soft, decorative rhythm under the otherwise solid form of her body. This mat rests on a grey, tiled floor rendered in a grid of dark lines, adding a subtle geometric order that contrasts with the flowing curves of her drapery.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBehind her, the background is built up through teal and white rectangular bands that frame the figure like a recessed niche. The inner grey field remains plain and unobtrusive, allowing the warm tones of the figure and the instrument to stand out clearly against it. This layered framing creates a shallow yet distinct sense of depth, situating the musician in a defined pictorial space without overcrowding the scene.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt the very top of the composition, stylised dark curtains with yellow detailing span the width of the painting. These theatrical draperies, combined with the architectural framing behind the figure, give the image a stage-like quality, as though the viewer is witnessing a performance within a proscenium. Together, these elements organise the composition into a clean, deliberate structure that focuses attention on the musician, presenting her both as an individual and as a timeless emblem of Kalighat’s expressive visual tradition.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Anwar Chitrakar","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50064923459798,"sku":null,"price":40000.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1194\/1498\/files\/1._Lady_Playing_a_Stringed_Instrument_in_Kalighat_by_Anwar_Chitrakar.png?v=1786433630","url":"https:\/\/www.memeraki.com\/products\/lady-playing-a-stringed-instrument-in-kalighat-by-anwar-chitrakar","provider":"Memeraki Retail and Tech Pvt Ltd.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}