Thakalis Art Gallery is doing a stellar job in preserving the artistic fabric of Bengal, Tibet and the North-Eastern belt of the country through its involvement in the making of Bengali thangkas and art. Representing 15 artists who specialise in the art form, we loved their framed, brocaded thangkas and even their Kalighat Pat Paintings that had our senses wanting for more. As these art forms are dying, the aim of the gallery is to preserve and project these artists and indigenous art forms. Another reason to explain our fondness towards the gallery is its relentless bid to support local artists and their dialogues with other art communities around the world.
Thangkas are paintings of meditating deities done up on cotton and silk. Something this brand gets spot on is its riot of colours on their thangkas that are essential to liven up your interiors and even your mood. Intricately done up patterns and motifs, they believe the dates of start and finish of a thangka are superstitiously conceptualised. We were also in love with their framed thangkas that are made over a period of six-eight months with narrow brush strokes and gold leafs to add a rich finish. If you want something a tad minimal yet lively, go for the watercolour Kalighat Pat Paintings that have cultural and traditional Bengali aspects in them, we love the Babumoshai and the Maa Kali paintings. These paintings are made on tempera paper and harbour all the heritage Kolkata’s unofficial cultural capital is known for.