Freshwater School

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The fish is an integral part of Bengali culture. Not only is it a staple of the region’s diet, but it is also revered for its unassuming temperament. Eerily enough, for a culture which believes that one becomes what one eats, the Bengalis are a laidback, largely unperturbed people. The school of fish that makes up this folk painting is made up of such demure freshwater elements, gazing ahead with their delicious eyes as they propel their plump bodies to the right of the painting.

Each fish is a beauteous element with extended finnage on the sides. Whichever one you look at is a more eye-catching colour than the other - every single one of the bitone fish is a combination of grey, yellow, red, brown, ochre, green, and peach. Some of the larger fish are turned upside down because of the momentum of the school, but they are all unidirectionally headed. Note the random yellow-coloured eye-cones between fish, which look vibrant against the blue of the riverine background and the solid scarlet of the edges of the composition.