Bikash Bhattacharjee (1940-2006)

'Synchoptic Formula', (Cityscape)

signed and dated 'Bikash 1965' (lower left)

oil on canvas, 84x102 cm

Exhibited: -The Society of Contemporary Artists, Mysore road / Dharamtola street, Calcutta, as no. ‘21 Synchopatic Formula’ (a label attached to the reverse).

Bikash Bhattacharjee (1940 - 2006) was one of India's premier Surrealist artists. He was born in Kolkata in 1940 and graduated from the Indian College of Arts and Draftsmanship in Kolkata (1963). He taught at his alma mater from 1968-1972. Bhattacharjee began showing his works in 1965, and held numerous solo exhibitions and group-shows worldwide. He received a great number of awards granted by institutions including the Academy of Fine Art, Kolkata (1962); the Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata (1971); and the National Award from the Lalit Kala Akademi in New Delhi (1971 and 1972). In 1988 he was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian awards given by the Indian government. [1] He was rightly considered to be one of India’s most widely acclaimed artists.

Even after the tragic stroke in 2000 that ended his painting career, Bikash Bhattacharjee continued to inspire Kolkata artists. In testimonials given after his death in 2006, a host of his contemporaries reflected upon his life as an artist and art educator who taught an entire generation at the Indian College of Arts and Draftsmanship, Rabindra Bharati University and the Lalit Kala Academy of Fine Art. [2] Among the statements were “his work was a combination of mastery of draftsmanship, imagination and social content; his deep-rooted social conscience [was] best seen in his photo-realism during the 1970 - 80s; he made art that was an instrument of aesthetic and social critique, in his prime, his paintings were a window into the struggles of poverty and socio-economic unrest that surrounded him.”

In fact, Bikash’s social sensitivity and empathy had been harnessed early in life, during his childhood and student years roaming and observing abandoned neighborhoods in the city of Kolkata. During his studies, he was encouraged to do work in the field. While the rest of the students selected zoos, gardens and amusement parks, Bikash preferred the less scenic parts of Kolkata. He often wandered into the ghettos looking for decaying buildings and neighborhoods. [3] It was the unspoken emptiness, isolation, seclusion and solitude asserted by the dilapidated structures and environment, that somehow gave him solace. This self-reflection on social and political issues became the hallmark of his realist and surrealist works. He stated: “I see myself as a sort of painter journalist, using paint and canvas as a photo-journalist might use his camera. What I have to say is right there on the canvas.”[4]

The painting offered here is signed “Bikash” and dated “65”, just two years after he completed his studies. This is one of his earliest surrealist paintings and may well be one of the works exhibited in 1965 and purchased by a gentleman in the Netherlands. What we are offered in this painting is the labyrinth of his mind and imagination as he walked through dilapidated areas of Kolkata. The painting is constructed upon three principle layers: the background is lit with a modest intensity of light, while the middle layer is much darker – a huge black area taking over almost the entire canvas. And, finally the top layer is brightly lit. Each layer is full of areas with different colour intensities, representing crumbling ruins of building structures, narrow alleys and the rooftops of a cityscape. Bikash stated of his work: “I prefer to lay the dark colours first and then build up the lights and the highlights. This process has helped me to give dimension to my pictures to say what I want to, and also to give the canvas the texture and characters that I desire.” [5] His remarkable ability to capture and distribute light with a high degree of perfection, illuminates the objects and brings the entire canvas to life.

The current lot is a very early, rare and exceptional work exemplifying Bikash Bhattacharjee’s fascination with cityscapes in poor areas of Kolkata, and his mastery of light.

References: [1] Christie’s Artist Profile: Bikash Bhattacharjee [2] Times of India, 19 December 2006 [3] Prinseps: Bikash Bhattacharjee’s early works [4] Indian Painting Today, Jehangir Art Gallery, Bombay, 1981, p. 17. [5] A. Banerjee, Conversations with Artists: Bikash Bhattacharjee, Lalit Kala Contemporary 15, New Delhi, 1973, p. 18.