Murals - Black House(Kalo Bari)

Reading up on Murals from the book ''Santiniketan Murals' edited by R. Shiva Kumar
Mural is derived from the latin murus (French mur) meaning 'wall' and a mural painting , is executed directly on the surface of the wall.
Mural painting can be divided into two distinct categories of work - methods prior to painting and methods for painting proper. In few cases these two categories of work become inseparable. The former includes the preparation of the 'carrier' and the ground or (plaster) on which the painting is executed the preparation of pigments and colours, and the preparation of the 'binding media' by which the pigments are made to stick to the ground.
Indian Silpa texts mentionwords like Bhitti, Manibhumi, Chitravapusa or Kudya to indicate both the carrier and the ground(plaster).
The colours of murul painting also need careful selection and preparation because all type of colours are not suitable. Only the mineral colours which are also lime resistant can be used in minerals. The only non mineral colour which has been proved to be lime resistent and satisfactory for any mural work is black soot.

Black House (Kalo Badi) is one of the example of the murals in Kala Bhavana where artists like Nandalal Bose and Binodbehari Mukherjee showed their skills and imagination.
It was asphalt coated mud reliefs.
Thirty six pieces, two in near around and the rest in reliefs of various depths, fall into three groups. The first group of fifteen works out of which most of them show dancers and musicians( usually derived from traditianal sources) covers the outer face of the massive pillars on the south verandah.
the second group on the wall of this verandah includes eleven panels, based on the details of ' Marraige of shive' mural in the Mattancherry palace at Cochin ana a dwarapalaka figure based on Aihole sculpture. The reliefs on the north side form the third group and include copies of Egyptian, Assyrian, Indua, Barhut and a Pallava art besides a few images from life.