Kalighat Paintings

'The repertoire was essentially a set of religious icons. However, the flow of life in the surrounding world found its place, to form the border of the religious center. Calcutta and its mores were in themselves a vast source: the Englishmen, the newly modish Calcuttans, the soldiers, the traders, the luxurious lives of the courtesans around Kalighat, Calcutta's resident rich – freed from the conservative constraints of rural life, were all fascinating subjects.'