Alpana/alpona Bengal - Chantal Jumel

Bengal alpona, Santiniketan photographic memories

A collection of photographs on the graphic art of alpona from former students and teachers of Santiniketan in Bengal.

Bengal alpona, "Books and references"

A selection of books on alpona written by researchers, alpona artists, and art lovers. Some paintings inspired by alpona.

Makara Sankranti/Poush Sankranti

Bengal alpona, "Poush Sankranti in the villages"— part 5

Alpona adorn the courtyards of houses. A closer look reveals houses, stables or kitchens. Sometimes with pictograms of humans or animals inside, and offerings of chillies, onions, pea pods, different types of seeds meant for the kitchen, and grass.

Makara Sankranti/Poush Sankranti

Bengal alpona, "Poush Sankranti at Sumitra’s home" — part 4

Drawings on the walls include agricultural tools, kitchen utensils, lotuses, fish, birds, abstract human figures, divine feet, mangoes, betel leaves, a palanquin, a pot of vermilion, arm ornaments and circular granaries.

Brata/rituals

Bengal alpona, "At Sumitra’s home"— part 3

In the centre of the courtyard, wrapped in a white shawl, Sumitra paints with a confident hand on the beaten earth. She guides the milky substance between her fingers and invokes the presence of Goddess Lakshmi by repeating her footprints like an incantation.

Goddess Durga

Bengal alpona, "Meeting with Kolkata" — part 2

Then on to Kumartuli, another mythical place in Kolkata. It is here that potters and sculptors make idols of the goddess Durga, which, once painted and dressed, are carried in procession before disappearing into the river.

Alpana/alpona Bengal

Bengal alpona, "The River by Jean Renoir"— part 1

The Bengal I have been dreaming of since I was a teenager is the Bengal of villages and the graphic creativity of the women, as in the opening scene of Jean Renoir's film "The River", shot in 1950 in Barrackpore near Kolkata.

Alpana/alpona Bengal

Alpona: Images and Symbols of Bengali Women

In Bengal, ephemeral designs are called alpona, alpana or alimpan and are associated with rituals called brata performed by women during festivals.

Chantal Jumel

How it all began

As a child I dreamed of becoming a dancer or an actress, a musician or a painter, and my favourite book was “Contes et légendes de l’Inde”. The images showed black and white men in turbans, an assembly of bonzes, a man with an elephant face and characters with numerous arms and heads.