Bikash Bhattacharjee
Encyclopedia
Bikash Bhatacharjee was an India
n painter from Kolkata
in West Bengal
. Through his paintings, he depicted the life of the average middle-class Bengali - their aspirations, superstitions, hypocrisy and corruption, and even the violence that is endemic to Kolkata. He worked in oils, acrylics, water-colours, conté
and collage. In 2003, he was awarded the highest award of Lalit Kala Akademi
, India's National Academy of Arts, the Lalit Kala Akademi Fellowship.
In 1963, he graduated with a Diploma in Fine Arts from Indian College of Art and Draftsmanship.
Bikash lived in Kolkata all his life.
from 1973 to 1982. In 1964, he became a member of the Society of Contemporary Artists.
He achieved commercial success early in life with his Doll Series in the 1960s, which was later followed by the Durga Series. In the 1980s, Bhttacharjee painted illustrations for a novel on the life of Ramkinker Baij, a great artist of the past. The novel, written by Bengali novelist Samaresh Basu, was never completed because of the death of the author, but Bhttacharjee's works for the book were some of his best.
Bhttacharjee often painted in a realistic style. He painted portraits of Tagore
, Satyajit Ray
, and Samaresh Basu
. His portrait of Indira Gandhi
, with a blurred and white face, was painted after her murder. He produced a series of works about the Naxal movement
and a group of paintings of prostitutes.
Bikash had inspired a host of painters in India including Sanjay Bhattacharya, a realistic painter from Bengal.
Besides painting the city and its people that he knew so well, Bhattacharjee was an accomplished portrait painter. Realism was Bhattacharjee's forte; his oil paintings could depict the exact quality of drapery or the skin tone of a woman. He achieved mastery in capturing the quality of light.
Bhattacharjee achieved an enigmatic quality in his paintings that works on many levels from the visual to the subconscious. Subject matter included depictions of the female form, and people of all ages and situations—old men and women, children, domestic help. He had the ability to create an authentic milieu as a background to the characters to heighten the drama.
Bikash had been deeply influenced by the surrealists, and stated that Salvador Dalí
was his favourite painter.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n painter from Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. Through his paintings, he depicted the life of the average middle-class Bengali - their aspirations, superstitions, hypocrisy and corruption, and even the violence that is endemic to Kolkata. He worked in oils, acrylics, water-colours, conté
Conté
Conté, also known as Conté sticks or Conté crayons, are a drawing medium composed of compressed powdered graphite or charcoal mixed with a wax or clay base, square in cross-section...
and collage. In 2003, he was awarded the highest award of Lalit Kala Akademi
Lalit Kala Akademi
The Lalit Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art is India's National Academy of Arts. It was an autonomous organization, established at New Delhi in 1954 by Government of India to promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, both within and outside the country...
, India's National Academy of Arts, the Lalit Kala Akademi Fellowship.
Early life
Bhattacharjee was born in Kolkata 1940. At a very early age he lost his father. The consequent struggle for survival left him with a deep sense of insecurity as well as an empathy for the under-privileged, who often feature in his works.In 1963, he graduated with a Diploma in Fine Arts from Indian College of Art and Draftsmanship.
Bikash lived in Kolkata all his life.
Teaching career
Bhttacharjee taught at Indian College of Art and Draftsmanship from 1968 to 1972. He taught at the Government College of Art & Craft, KolkataGovernment College of Art & Craft, Kolkata
The Government College of Art & Craft in Kolkata is one of the oldest Art colleges in India. It was founded on August 16, 1854 at Garanhata, Chitpur, "with the purpose of establishing an institution for teaching the youth of all classes, industrial art based on scientific methods." as the School of...
from 1973 to 1982. In 1964, he became a member of the Society of Contemporary Artists.
Painting career
His first solo exhibition was at Kolkata in 1965. His paintings were exhibited outside India; he had shows in 1969 at Paris; between 1970 and 72 in Yugoslavia, Checkoslovia, Romania and Hungary; in London in 1982; and in New York in 1985.He achieved commercial success early in life with his Doll Series in the 1960s, which was later followed by the Durga Series. In the 1980s, Bhttacharjee painted illustrations for a novel on the life of Ramkinker Baij, a great artist of the past. The novel, written by Bengali novelist Samaresh Basu, was never completed because of the death of the author, but Bhttacharjee's works for the book were some of his best.
Bhttacharjee often painted in a realistic style. He painted portraits of Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
, Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
, and Samaresh Basu
Samaresh Basu
Samaresh Basu was an Indian Bengali writer based in Kolkata, India. He was born on December 11, 1924 and spent his early childhood in Dhaka, Bikrampur in what is today Bangladesh...
. His portrait of Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
, with a blurred and white face, was painted after her murder. He produced a series of works about the Naxal movement
Naxalite
The word Naxal, Naxalite or Naksalvadi is a generic term used to refer to various militant Communist groups operating in different parts of India under different organizational envelopes...
and a group of paintings of prostitutes.
Bikash had inspired a host of painters in India including Sanjay Bhattacharya, a realistic painter from Bengal.
Style
Bikash Bhattacharya is credited with bringing realism back to Indian art at a time when artists in India were leaning more towards distortion of figures and abstraction.Besides painting the city and its people that he knew so well, Bhattacharjee was an accomplished portrait painter. Realism was Bhattacharjee's forte; his oil paintings could depict the exact quality of drapery or the skin tone of a woman. He achieved mastery in capturing the quality of light.
Bhattacharjee achieved an enigmatic quality in his paintings that works on many levels from the visual to the subconscious. Subject matter included depictions of the female form, and people of all ages and situations—old men and women, children, domestic help. He had the ability to create an authentic milieu as a background to the characters to heighten the drama.
Bikash had been deeply influenced by the surrealists, and stated that Salvador Dalí
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....
was his favourite painter.
Personal life
In 2000, Bhattacharjee suffered a paralytic stroke that left him paralysed and unable to paint. He died in a Kolkata nursing home on 18 December 2006 following a prolonged illness. He was survived by his wife Parbati, a son, and a daughter.Galleries
His paintings can be found in the following galleries:- National Gallery of Modern ArtNational Gallery of Modern ArtThe National Gallery of Modern Art is the leading Indian art gallery. The main museum at New Delhi was established on March 29, 1954 by the Government of India, with subsequent branches at Mumbai and Bangalore...
, New Delhi - Lalit Kala AkademiLalit Kala AkademiThe Lalit Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art is India's National Academy of Arts. It was an autonomous organization, established at New Delhi in 1954 by Government of India to promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, both within and outside the country...
, New Delhi - Ministry of EducationMinistry of Human Resource Development (India)The Ministry of Human Resource Development is an Indian government ministry, responsible for the development of human resources...
, New Delhi - Chandigarh University Museum, Chandigarh
- Bharat BhavanBharat Bhavanthumb|350px|Bharat Bhavan, [[Bhopal]]Bharat Bhavan is a multi-arts complex without parallel in Bhopal, India housing a museum of the arts, an art gallery, a workshop for fine arts, a repertory theater, indoor and outdoor auditoria, rehearsal room, and libraries of Indian poetry, classical and folk...
, Bhopal
Awards and honours
- Academy of Fine Arts Award, Calcutta (1962)
- National Award, Lalit Kala AkademiLalit Kala AkademiThe Lalit Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art is India's National Academy of Arts. It was an autonomous organization, established at New Delhi in 1954 by Government of India to promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, both within and outside the country...
, New Delhi (1971) - Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Calcutta, National Award, Lalit Kala AkademiLalit Kala AkademiThe Lalit Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art is India's National Academy of Arts. It was an autonomous organization, established at New Delhi in 1954 by Government of India to promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, both within and outside the country...
, New Delhi (1972) - Banga Ratna (1987)
- Padma ShriPadma ShriPadma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
(1988) - Shiromani Purashkar (1989)
- Nivedita Purashkar, Ramkrishna Vivekananda Ashram (1990)
- Lalit Kala Akademi Fellowship (2003)
External links and references
- http://www.contemporaryindianart.com/bikash_bhattacharjee.htm
- http://www.artofbengal.com/Bikash.htm
- http://www.21stcenturyindianart.com/Realism.htm
- http://www.abasar.net/ArtBikash.htm