Abirpothi

India’s only daily art newspaper

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Bengal’s 10 Bhadralok Icons: From Literature to Cinema, a Cultural Exploration

Now that you may know what a Bhadralok is, we move on to seeing different caricatures of the same. These intellectual gentlemen who brought about a Bengal Renaissance were cultural icons in more ways than one. These Babu’s and Bibi’s soon were seen in Bengali cinema, and literature and they still exist many centuries later […]

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Is Selfie Culture Endangering Museum Artefacts?

In an age dominated by social media, the traditional museum experience is increasingly being reshaped by the pervasive influence of selfie culture. While museums have long faced threats to their collections from various sources, the rise of selfie-takers presents a unique and growing challenge that demands attention from museum administrators and insurers. Robert Read, head

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From The Gigantic Mountains to The Deepest Rivers: Chinese Landscape Painting

When we think of landscape, we think of the mountains, the meandering streams, flora, and fauna. But nobody has contributed more to landscape paintings than the Chinese. For centuries, simple Chinese landscape paintings have bewitched viewers with their serene and calming beauty, intricate detail, and profound symbolism. Rooted in ancient traditions and philosophical principles, Chinese

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Evolution of Bhadralok and Babu Representations in West Bengal’s Visual Arts

The 19th century in West Bengal was marked by a sudden surge of the Bhadralok as we have now read in the previous articles in the Bhadralok series. The Bengali elite or the “babu” of Bengal changed the cultural landscape of the region in many different ways. Their dressing was a mixture of Indian and

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“Stone Hasn’t Left me”, Says the Curator of Yuva Sambhava Robin David

When it comes to artistic expression, mediums, techniques, and perceptions frequently change over time. Nonetheless, despite all of this change, there is still a persistent dedication to customs and respect for ancestry that informs and influences the field of art. The recent show presented by renowned sculptor Robin David under the Raza Foundation’s auspices resonates

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Bhadralok: Architectural Legacy and Cultural Identity in Kolkata and Beyond

We have earlier learned about the Bhadralok of Kolkata and how the term and the people came into being around the 19th century. Bhadralok of course was defined by their Bhadrata (good manners). The Bhadralok did not just inhabit urban spaces, but in rural areas, a defining trait of the Bhadralok is their aversion to

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From Aristocracy to Artefact: Introduction to Kolkata’s Bhadralok Culture

The bhadraloks built their reputation for having a certain evolved sense of the world -Hindol Sengupta/ fortuneindia.com Bhadralok Culture The existence of aristocratic strata within Kolkata’s cultural milieu highlights a legacy characterised by influence and refinement or so it seems. The Bhadralok culture may have sprung up in the 19th century and established a great

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