DepartmentAsia

Coronavirus patachitra
(narrative scroll painting)

NamePainting

Artist Rupban "Svarna" Chitrakar

CultureBengali

Date2020

Place madeNaya, West Bengal, INDIA, South Asia, ASIA

MediumNatural pigments, paper, cotton thread, sari fabric, adhesive

Dimensions100" x 22"

Credit LineMuseum of International Folk Art, Museum Purchase, A.2022.6.1

Object numberA.2022.6.1

ProvenancePurchased from the artist

DescriptionLong scroll depicting scenes of people facing the novel COVID-19 corona virus pandemic of 2020, with the virus shown as a large red colored monster (red, blue, yellow, green).

Patachitra are narrative scroll paintings from West Bengal, India.
Chitrakar (picture makers) is a surname and caste title adopted by
the community of artists, also known as Patuas, who paint stories
and write accompanying songs performed as the scroll is unrolled.
Traditionally, itinerant artists went from village to village, performing
scrolls to tell religious stories and folktales, as well as to communicate
important current events and public service announcements (from exhibition label text).