(21 June, 1940 – 18 December, 2006)
Bikash Bhattacharjee was born in Kolkata, West Bengal, 1940 and he was an eminent Indian artist. He studied Diploma in Fine Arts from The Indian College of Art and Draftsmanship, Kolkata and later, he taught in the same college and also taught in Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata. In addition, he was a member of the “Society of Contemporary Artists”.
Bhattacharjee achieved commercial success early in life with his “Doll Series” in the 1960s, which was later followed by the “Durga Series.” His compositions are usually on sensitive subjects or themes, such as, group of paintings of Prostitutes, Naxal movement, these series included depictions of women, as well as people of all ages and situations—such as old men and women, children, and domestic workers. He was able to create realistic backgrounds that made the scenes with his characters more dramatic. The characters that are improbable in both psychological and physiological aspects play a significant role on the canvas and are the main focus of his oil paintings, creating a powerful combination of realism and fantasy.
Bhattacharjee often painted what he saw around him, but he gave it a new and powerful dimension. His portrayal of everyday situations was full of passion and emotion. He enjoyed creating portraits of ordinary people as well as characters from theatre and films. He captured everyday life realistically through his art and saw art as a way to communicate with people. He didn't believe in abstract art; instead, he approached his work like a photojournalist, capturing and adjusting images with his own perspective. He was skilled in using light in his paintings.
Bhattacharjee had been deeply influenced by the Surrealism, and his favourite painter was “Salvador Dali”. He often painted in a realistic and figurative style. He also painted portraits of most famous personalities, such as, Tagore, Satyajit Ray, and Samaresh Basu, Indira Gandhi and more. He worked in oils, acrylics, watercolours, conte, crayons, pastels, pencil and collage. However, he was especially skilled in his oil paintings, capturing the exact look of fabric and the skin tones of women. He mastered the ability to depict light in his compositions. His colour palette was not much bright and vibrant, instead it was sober and subtle.
Bikash Bhattacharjee passed away in Kolkata on 18 December, 2006.
