Promoda Sundari

The pin-up art of Sundaris (‘beautiful women’) was originally popularised by Kalighat patuas—Indian painters who create art that is unique to the eastern Indian region as their traditional occupation—before being appropriated by printmaking studios operated by art-school graduates at the turn of the twentieth century. Each Sundari was embodied with certain quirks or characteristics that defined them. Promoda Sundari, for example, depicted in this Chorebagan Art Studio litho print, allows us to see how women were objectified while they were engaged in acts of self-care, so we see her grooming products as she brushes her hair while holding a mirror to her face.