The tenth edition of the Kala ka Kura, a discussion about art and various factors concerning the Nepali arts firmament, took place at Taragoun Museum on Wednesday. Organised jointly by the Society of Fine Arts Journalists Nepal (Sofaj) and the Taragaon Art Museum, the recent episode of the monthly discussion featured artist Lok Chitrakar, who spoke about the scope and current status of Paubha painting in Nepal. The discussion was moderated by journalist/artist Devendra Thumkeli.

Speaking about the origin of Paubha, Chitrakar said, “The Paubha paintings which we see now have gone through various modification and improvisations. Having its roots on the Newari culture, it went all the way to Tibet and we can still see the evidence of Paubha paintings in the monasteries of Tibet. The paintings that we see here are also largely influenced from the Tibetian style.”

 “Paubha paintings have been neglected for many years, but due to the interest of international art market, it has revived in recent times. Paubha artists are being alleged for emulating their style from old paintings, but that holds little truth,” said Chitrakar, speaking about the development of the art form. “We use similar type of symbols and follow similar pattern as the old paintings; but that does not mean that it is not evolving. It is more like we are also taking references from the old paintings, than we are copying it.” He further added that due to lack of academic research, books, investigation and proper documentation, the development of Paubha paintings in the country has not been very satisfactory.

Chitrakar also pointed at the government’s lack of effective policy and programmes to develop the Paubha painting. “The government recognises paintings as a form of industry rather than education or even art. It considers art as a source of income generation rather than a creative endeavour; due to which the art scape has not been able to flourish in the country,” said Chiratkar.

Due to the influence of his family and community, Chitrakar, a self-taught artist, started painting Paubha, an ancient form of Newari art where symbols, patterns and lines are used to depict various stories of different Hindu and Buddhist deities. Chitrakar has been on the field for more than four decades now.