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{{Short description|South Asian folk art style}}
'''<span lang="Bn" dir="ltr">Alpana</span>''' or '''alpona''' ({{langx|bn|আলপনা }}) is a [[Bengalis|Bengali]] [[folk art]] style consisting of colored motifs, patterns, and symbols that are painted on floors and walls with paints made from rice flour, on religious occasions. Alpona is common to [[Bangladesh]] and the Indian state of  West Bengal. Amongst Hindu families, alpanas may contain religious motifs with symbolic designs that relate to religious austerity, festivals, and specific deities. Amongst ''Santal'' tribal communities, ''alpanas'' often contain geometric or symbolic patterns drawn from nature. Although traditionally the domain of [[rural women]]'', Alpana'' motifs have been very influential in modern Indian art, and are incorporated into the works of artists such as [[Jamini Roy]], [[Abanindranath Tagore]], [[Devi Prasad (artist)|Devi Prasad]], and in the early illustrations of film-maker [[Satyajit Ray]]. In contemporary Bengal, ''alpanas'' are created as part of religious festivals such as the [[Durga Puja|Durga puja]], in public and private spaces.
[[File:Alpona by people.jpg|thumb|right|Alpana work in Bangladesh during [[Language Movement Day]]]] [[File:Alpana_on_saraswati_puja1.jpg|thumb|right|Another Alpana]]
== Development and motifs ==
Alpanas were traditionally created by women in the [[Bengal]] region, and is a form of ritual art, similar in technique to [[rangoli]], [[kolam]], and [[chowk poorana]] in other parts of South Asia, but with distinct motifs and patterns.<ref name="hindu27122017">{{cite news |date=27 December 2016 |title=Reviving a vanishing folk art form in Bengal |work=The Hindu |publisher=The Hindu Group |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/Reviving-a-vanishing-folk-art-form-in-Bengal/article16083431.ece |access-date=7 October 2017}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=SenGupta |first=Amitabh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d5khR_HRE8MC&dq=%22alpana%22+Art+bengal&pg=PA76 |title=Scroll Paintings of Bengal: Art in the Village |date=2012-06-14 |publisher=AuthorHouse |isbn=978-1-4772-1383-4 |language=en}}</ref> It is likely to have originated in agrarian societies.<ref name=":0" />
The symbolic patterns used in alpana may be linked to ''bratas'', or religious fasts maintained by women. These fasts may have been to respect specific deities, in return for blessings and were associated with ideas of religious purity.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Chaitanya |first=Krishna |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=McSbSMhArFgC&dq=%22alpana%22+Art+bengal&pg=PA72 |title=A History of Indian Painting |date=1976 |publisher=Abhinav Publications |isbn=978-81-7017-310-6 |language=en}}</ref> The use of alpanas are closely associated with religious ceremonies: for instance, they may have been used as decoration and part of the ceremony during traditional weddings, naming ceremonies, and festivals.<ref name=":1" /> For instance, in parts of West Bengal, alpanas are created to mark the end of a period of fasting, and are accompanied by a special worship ceremony.<ref name="hindu27122017" /> When performed in honor of the goddess [[Lakshmi]], the alpana will contain symbols and motifs that relate to her, such as her carrier, an owl, as well as a granary, a conch shell and lotus flowers.<ref name="hindu27122017" /> Linear designs, usually created inside the house on the floor, are intended to symbolise that Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, has entered the house, indicating a blessing.<ref name=":0" /> The motifs are not always organised into a structured layout and are often free-form, accompanied by floral designs and geometric patterns.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last1=Sujatha |last2=Kumar |first2=Shankar |date=2014-06-23 |title=Floored by an art tradition |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/events/floored-by-an-art-tradition/article6142188.ece |access-date=2022-03-02 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> Circular alpanas have been created as decorative pedestals for idols, and wall panels of alpanas can illustrate deities as well as scenes from religious tradition.<ref name=":2" /> Traditional alpana designs can also be linked to ''bratas'' relating to particular seasons or festivals. For instance, during the monsoon, a stylized sheaf of rice may form a part of the alpana to symbolise the sowing of paddy.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=TNN |date=15 August 2016 |title=Alpana decision taken at Kala Bhavan |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/alpana-decision-taken-at-kala-bhavan/articleshow/53703523.cms |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref> Some alpanas may be linked to specific cultural concerns, such as warding off disease by the use of specific symbols.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2016-11-20 |title=Meet Rabi Biswas - The Artist Who's Kept The Ancient Indian Artform Of Alpana Alive Till Today |url=https://www.indiatimes.com/culture/who-we-are/meet-rabi-biswas-the-artist-who-s-kept-the-ancient-indian-artform-of-alpana-alive-till-today-264929.html |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=IndiaTimes |language=en-IN}}</ref> Among the [[Santal people|Santal]] tribal communities, ''alpanas'' may contain geometric and symbolic patterns drawn from nature.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar |first=The Third Eye |title='In Forest, Field and Factory': This unusual book opens up glimpses of Santal Adivasi houses |url=https://scroll.in/article/1007917/in-forest-field-and-factory-this-unusual-book-opens-up-glimpses-of-santal-adivasi-houses |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=Scroll.in |language=en-US}}</ref>
Alpanas form a significant part of the celebrations of [[Durga Puja|m]] in Bengal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Durga Puja is… the world's largest street art festival: Tanusree Shankar |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/lifestyle/durga-puja-is-the-worlds-largest-street-art-festival-tanusree-shankar/cid/1834483 |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=www.telegraphindia.com}}</ref> The word ''alpana'' derives from the Sanskrit term ''alimpana'', which means 'plastering' or 'coating'.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=2017-09-16 |title=Made of rice flour, a floor decoration... |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/633467/made-rice-flour-floor-decoration.html |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=Deccan Herald |language=en}}</ref>
== Techniques and materials ==
An alpana is usually created on flooring, generally directly on the ground. On this, a wet white pigment made of rice flour and water (or in some places, chalk powder and water) is used to outline the alpana, with the paint being applied by the artist's finger tips, a small twig, or a piece of cotton thread that is soaked in the dye, or fabric.<ref name=":1" /> Colors are sometimes added, traditionally using naturally-derived ingredients that are mixed with the white paint.<ref name="hindu27122017" /> When dried, the pigment appears white against the darker background of the cow-dung floor.<ref name=":0" />
The motifs and designs in alpanas are usually created in a free-hand style, without the use of stencils or patterns. In the region of Bengal, it is common to use floral motifs, as well as figurative symbols representing specific gods.<ref name=":1" /> Modern alpanas may use materials including glue, vermilion, and dyes for more durable designs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Do more with your floor |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/jharkhand/do-more-with-your-floor/cid/1647289 |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=www.telegraphindia.com}}</ref><ref name=":5" />
== Conservation, modern art, and popular culture ==
Contemporary alpanas are not as common, and in a bid to revive the art form, several non-profit organisations such as the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (a non-profit art conservation body) and the Daricha Foundation have initiated efforts to train artists, through lectures and demonstrations.<ref name="hindu27122017" /> Modern efforts at reviving the art form include public events in which alpanas stretching over several streets are created by volunteers, as well as alpana competitions, often held during the Durga pujas, a religious festival.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Phulia creates 3km-long alpana in 10 hours |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/phulia-creates-3km-long-alpana-in-10-hours/cid/1450777 |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=www.telegraphindia.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mitra |first=Bishwabijoy |date=26 September 2017 |title=Art students & puja have become inseparable |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/art-students-puja-have-become-inseparable/articleshow/60841126.cms |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=[[The Times of India]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-09-21 |title=Kolkata heralds Durga Puja with longest floor art |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/634148/kolkata-heralds-durga-puja-longest.html |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=Deccan Herald |language=en}}</ref> In the 1980s, ''alpanar bois'', or thin booklets of alpana designs, could be purchased and used to teach and replicate traditional motifs.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=The writ, it's floored |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/culture/the-writ-its-floored/cid/1831302 |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=www.telegraphindia.com}}</ref> In some parts of West Bengal, the use of alpanas containing the symbols of political parties as part of election campaigns has also occurred.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Desk |first=Sentinel Digital |date=2021-04-17 |title=Art and culture lend a dash of colour to West Bengal elections - Sentinelassam |url=https://www.sentinelassam.com/national-news/art-and-culture-lend-a-dash-of-colour-to-west-bengal-elections-534080 |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=www.sentinelassam.com |language=en}}</ref> The creation of alpanas has been taught as an art form at [[Kala Bhavana]], the fine arts department of [[Visva-Bharati University|Visva Bharati University]], by notable artists including Sukumari Devi, Kiranbala Devi and [[Jamuna Sen]].<ref name=":2" /> In 2016, it was made a part of the foundation course for undergraduates at Kala Bhavan, and students are now trained in some of the most common traditional motifs and designs.<ref name=":3" />
The Indian modern artist, [[Nandalal Bose]], frequently drew from alpanas and their traditional motifs in his art, especially floral motifs such as the autumn flower.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Chowdhury |first=Chitranibha |date=2020-01-02 |title=In the Bower of Art |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/17561310.2020.1770963 |journal=Art in Translation |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=71–81 |doi=10.1080/17561310.2020.1770963|s2cid=221052185 }}</ref><ref name=":2" /> [[Abanindranath Tagore]], the painter and writer, wrote a study of alpanas in his book, ''Banglar Broto'', and compared their motifs to hieroglyphs.<ref name=":6" /> The film-maker, [[Satyajit Ray]], who began his career in advertising and graphic design, used motifs from ''alpanas'' in advertisements, illustrates, and on book jackets.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-02-22 |title='Ray Between the Covers': An exhibition that celebrates the filmmaker's artistic talent |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/art-and-culture/satyajit-ray-design-book-covers-illustrations-art-exhibition-7785708/ |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-06-15 |title=Online exhibition on Satyajit Ray as children's magazine illustrator |url=https://www.thestatesman.com/lifestyle/online-exhibition-satyajit-ray-childrens-magazine-illustrator-1502972968.html |access-date=2022-03-02 |website=The Statesman |language=en-US}}</ref> The artist Rabi Biswas has worked to preserve and record traditional alpanas taught to him by female family members, and now teaches ''alpana'' art in West Bengal.<ref name=":4" /> Modern artist Jamini Roy also drew heavily from ''alpanas'' in his work.<ref>{{Cite news |agency=Press Trust of India |date=2016-02-09 |title=Treasures by Jamini Roy - first modernist master of Indian art |work=Business Standard India |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/treasures-by-jamini-roy-first-modernist-master-of-indian-art-116020900282_1.html |access-date=2022-03-02}}</ref> The painter, potter, and photographer [[Devi Prasad (artist)|Devi Prasad]] also incorporated ''alpana'' motifs into his work, as decorative elements in his pottery.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ahuja |first=Naman |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=crdZEAAAQBAJ&dq=bengal+art+alpana&pg=PA83 |title=The Making of a Modern Indian Artist-Craftsman: Devi Prasad |date=2022-01-26 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-000-36576-4 |language=en}}</ref>
In Bangladesh, ''alpanas'' are drawn to celebrate national festivals, such as Language Day (Bhasha Dibash).<ref name=":6" />
== See also ==
* [[Rangoli]]
* [[Kolam]]
* [[Chowk poorana]]
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Culture of West Bengal}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Indian painting]]
[[Category:Bangladeshi painting]]
[[Category:Hindu art]]
[[Category:Bengali Hindus]]
[[Category:Culture of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Indian folk art]]
[[Category:Indian folk culture]]