Untitled (Saithiya Baul Sampradaya, Birbhum)

This mesmerising watercolour and gouache work encapsulates the mastery over detailing that Amalnath Chakladhar is known for. He gives a bird’s-eye view of a village fair in Birbhum district of West Bengal, where a performance by the Saithiya Bauls—mystic minstrels of the region—is in progress. The details the artist has accentuated in the small format—the lighted up makeshift stage in the centre for the performance surrounded by various tents selling wares where groups of people can be seen huddled, a train chugging in the background beyond the village thicket lighting up the late evening—make it an extraordinary work, which Chakladhar painted over nearly two decades.