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Blind artist :
Benode Bihari |
Paralysis,
severe physical insufficiencies, even psychic disorders are
commonplace among the writers, painters and people of such creative
passions. Benode Bihari was born with
one blind eye, the other too gave way when he was only fifty-three
years old. Ramkinkar
was addicted
to alcohol and finally died with severe ailments coupled with chronic
malnutrition.
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Portrait of artist
Ramkinkar by Bikash Bhattacharya |
Bikash Bhattacharya, a legend of modern times was also not left by this
strange twist of destiny. for the past seven years before his death,
Bikash was completely disabled by the paralysis which made painting
impossible. But seeing Bikas's immense popularity, dealers of art had
even suggested that he might paint with his feet or rather do some
simple abstracts. But Bikash had never compromised with his ideals and
principles. While many painters of repute tend to take the easy route of
creating sub-standard works once their signatures start selling, Bikash
always refrained from doing so.
It is a rarity in today's
commercialized art world.
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Bikash Bhattacharya, along with
Ganesh Paine and
Sunil Das had been one of the founders
of the prestigious
Society of
Contemporary Artists of Kolkata. He was born in 1940, in a
middle class family. In 1963, he graduated from
Indian College of Art and Draftsmanship
and then joined
as faculty at the same place in 1968
Bikash Bhattacharya is credited for bringing back
realism into Indian art at a time when the artists in India were leaning
more towards distortion of figures and abstraction.
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With Bikash's
realistic paintings
, the art world once again started attracting the common man on
the street. This is Bikash’s single most important contribution to art.
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Bikash Bhattacharya had
handled various medium simultaneously. here are two examples of his
works; one in pastel on paper, the other oil on canvas. |
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Bikash had achieved
commercial success very early in life with his
Doll Series, which was later followed
by the Durga Series. In the 1980s, Bikash painted
illustrations for a sequel novel on the life of another great
artist of the past-
Ramkinker Baij
. The novel
written by Bengali novelist Samaresh Basu could not be completed as Basu
died in between, but Bikash’s works have remained as some of his bests.
Bikash had also earned
fame by painting portraits of famous men like Indira Gandhi, Tagore, Satyajit Ray and Samaresh
Basu. Bikash Had inspired a host of painters in India
including Sanjay Bhattacharya
who is today the main realist from Bengal. |
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Medium
and technique of works
Bikash Bhattacharya has
painted in almost all known media,
oil,
water colour,
gouache, pastel
. But it is paintings in oil
that has drawn the maximum attention. Bikash worked in realistic
technique playing with light and shade.
Major
Themes.
Bikash had been deeply
influenced by the
surrealists
and indeed he has went on record stating that Salvador Dali had been his
favourite painter. In Bikash’s paintings, he infuses imaginary
surrealist themes in realistic set up. Thus though in terms of
techniques, Bikash is a realist, his themes can be best described as
surrealist.
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