Village of Painters

Frank J. Korom, Photographs by Paul Smutko

The Patuas of West Bengal are a traditional artisan caste specializing in the production of painted narrative scrolls and the performance of songs to accompany their unrolling. Traditionally, the scroll painters wander from village to village, seeking patronage by singing their own compositions while unraveling painted scrolls on sacred and secular themes.

Jacketed paperbound. 120 pp. 8 1/2 x 11 1/2, 118 color photographs, 1 map; $29.95
ISBN: 978-0-89013-489-4