Patna has a rich and varied history when it comes to art and paintings. In this, Patna Kalam style of painting constitutes a rich source for constructing the socio-culture history of Bihar.

Patna Kalam Painting also known as Patna School of paintings, where the word Kalam or Qalam translates to “Style”

The Patna Kalam art form is an amalgamation of the Mughal and the European art. The portraits can be clearly seen having colors and linings from Mughal style, and the shading can be seen to be adopted from the British style.

Diverging from the Mughal and Persian style of wide and exquisitely decorated borders, Patna Kalam primarily focused on the subject of the painting.

• Patna Kalam were deeply influenced by the daily life of the common man, also a common subject in Company painting.
• Their main subjects were local festivals, ceremonies, bazaar scenes, local rulers, and domestic activities.
• The paintings were done on diverse surfaces such as paper, mica, and
  even ivory diskettes, that were used as brooches.
• A distinguishing characteristic of Patna Kalam is the lack of any
  landscape, foreground or background. Another characteristic was the development of the shading of solid forms.
• Patna Kalam paintings are painted straightway with the brush (that they used to create on their own with squirrel or horse hair), without
  marking with a pencil to delineate the contours of the picture and
  the procedure of painting is popularly known as ‘Kajli Seahi.‘