WALL ART:
Wall art from Kolkata although a very old art form is slowly dying out. Take a look at some of the wall art in the form of lettering that has survived.

RAMESH BHAVAN

‘RAMESH BHAVAN’ is one of the surviving wall art. It is the signage of a house, nearly a century old in Kolkata (photo on the previous page). During that time a numbering system for houses did not exist. Most house owners used this type of signage developed on a stone surface, for identification of their house. The glyph of typography is taken from religious forms. It is a very sharp and low contrast typeface.

GOPAL KHETRA

GOPAL KHETRA’ is another house in Kolkata in which the display typography is cast in cement following the curved path of the curvature of the door.

LATE SRI JAHAR LAL BHAVAN

SOURENDRA BHAVAN

The two different types of signage shown ‘LATE SRI JAHAR LAL BHAVAN’ and ‘SOURENDRA BHAVAN’ are for private houses with details of addresses of the house etched out in the stone. One address reads [52 A, Baburam Ghosh Lane, Kolkata – 5] and the other [22/A, Gokul Baral Street].

SRI SRI DURGA BHAVAN, RAM GOPAL PRATISTHITA

This is panel reads - ‘SRI SRI DURGA BHAVAN, RAM GOPAL PRATISTHITA’. Here ‘Sri Sri Durga Bhavan’ is the name of the house while ‘Ram Gopal Pratisthita’ means ‘Ram Gopal established the house.’ It is made from metal flats from which the glyphs are cut and formed. They are long lasting.