POSTCARDS TURN INTO CANVAS

N Kalyani interviews Jyotirmoy Bhattacharya, art historian, researcher and curator of hand-painted postcards' exhibition.

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Earlier this year Sangeet Shyamala's Surrendra Paul Art Gallery hosted an exhibition of postcards, in New Delhi, entitled Bengal School Painted Postcards. The exhibition was curated by Kolkata based Jyotirmoy Bhattacharya, the well known art historian, researcher, and curator. In an interview with him, N Kalyani discovers how these postcards are of interest to the artist, the historian, the philatelist, anyone. Postcards have always been an interesting and inexpensive way to communicate and correspond with family, friends, and acquaintances. Bright, colourful postcards were always collectibles. Sometimes they came in from foreign countries with collectible postage stamps too. It isn't without reason that 'picture postcard' is a term used to mean a perfect setting, a perfect picture, an idyllic place.

The popularity and all-pervasiveness of postcards may have fallen in a big way today with speedy communication means offered by modern technology. But postcards remain a part of yesteryear's memories. And postcards are still an interesting and an inexpensive way to communicate, with a personal touch and an old-world charm. Even today there are postcard collectors. Read on to discover more about the Bengal School Painted Postcards exhibition...

There were 56 postcards displayed at the Bengal School Painted Postcards exhibition. It felt like a rewind as we go back in time to an era of postcards. Doesn't it?

Communication has undergone a revolutionary transformation over the last two centuries. Today, we live in an era of instant messaging through email and texting. However, there was a time when handwritten letters were the only form of communication. These letters, though often delayed, carried a deep sense of personal attachment and emotional resonance.