In Bengal, around the pilgrimage centre of the temple of Kalighat, a new style of paintings known as Kalighat painting was developed by local village scroll painters and potters.
Its main characteristics were:
(i) The images of the Kalighat paintings did not appear to be realistic and lifelike.
(ii) These images rallied around religious themes and the artist used shading effect in order to give three-dimensional effect.
(iii) The Kalighat painters used a bold non-realistic style in which figures emerged as large and powerful.
(iv) These paintings had minimum of lines, details and colours.

Miniature paintings are small-sized paintings, generally done by water colour on cloth or paper. The most notable traditions of miniature painting in India are the Mughal, Rajasthani, Pahari and Deccani courts. In these paintings, there are very few human characters seen with front face. Most of the human characters are seen with side profile. Big eyes, pointed nose and slim waist are the features of these paintings. Human characters have worn traditional Indian dresses and jewellery.

(i) Clive is portrayed as being welcomed by Mir Jafar and his troops after the Battle of Plassey (1757).
(ii) The British had defeated Sirajuddaulah in the Battle of Plassey and installed Mir Jafar as the Nawab of Murshidabad. Their victory was a result of conspiracy and the traitor Mir Jafar who betrayed Nawab was awarded the title of
Nawab. But in this picture, the act of aggression and conquest was not depicted. Here the artists depicted a warm reception of lord Clive by Mir Jafar.
(iii) The British flag is placed there to show the victory and supremacy of British power over Bengal and Mysore.

(i) In these two pictures. Indians are depicted as inferior and submissive. In both these paintings. Indians are shown as maid and servants who work for their white masters.
(ii) The Britishers are flaunting their costly and regal dresses. By wearing expensive dresses, they want to convey their supremacy, aristocracy to us.

Many of the Indian artists worked as painters in the courts of Indian kings. With the establishment of British power, many of the local courts lost their influence and wealth. It became difficult for the artists to earn a living. So many of them turned to the British. In many courts like Murshidabad encouraged the local miniature artists to absorb the tastes and artistic styles of the British.
The local painters started to produce a vast number of images of local plants, animals, historical buildings and monuments, festivals and processions, trades and crafts, caste and communities.

From the 18th century, many European artists came to India along with British traders and rulers. They brought with them new styles and new conventions of painting.
They produced picture which were already popular in Europe and this helped shape western perceptions of India. European artists introduced the idea of realism i.e. look real and lifelike presentation. They brought the technique of oil painting which enabled the artists to produce images that looked real.
The major trends of imperial art brought by them to India were picturesque landscape painting, portrait painting and history painting. All these new forms became very popular during the colonial era.

During the colonial era, Western influences started to make an impact on Indian art. Some artists developed a style that used western ideas of composition, perspective and realism to illustrate Indian themes.
The Bengal School of Art was an influential style of art that flourished in India during the British Raj in the early 20th century.
This school arose as an avant-garde and supporter of nationalist movement reacting against artists like Raja Ravi Varma.
Abanindranath Tagore and his disciples and followers believed that the style of Raja Ravi Varma was unsuitable for depicting the nation's ancient myths and legends.

The patuas or scroll painters are an artisan community found in the state of West Bengal. The village patuas worked on mythological themes and produced images of gods and goddesses.
When they shifted to Kalighat in Calcutta, they continued to paint these religious images. Traditionally, the figures in scroll paintings looked flat, not rounded. Later the Kalighat painters began to use shading to give them a rounded form and looked three-dimensional.
After the 1840s, a new trend developed within the Kalighat artists. Values, tastes, social norms and customs were undergoing rapid changes at that time. This influenced the works of the Kalighat painters. They began to draw on modern topics of social changes and politics.