Debashish Dutta

Debasish Dutta’s paintings speak about life; or rather they narrate his experiences and his ways of seeing the world around him. Born in Balurghat, West Bengal, Debasish Dutta completed his Bachelors in painting in 1999 from the Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, and then went on to pursue his masters in Graphics from the Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University, Baroda in 2001.

The transition from painting to graphics was initially difficult. But working in graphics made the artist more responsive to the strength of lines, whether it was etching or drawing. The artist’s childhood years in his village in West Bengal were often reflected in his early works along with obvious overtones of the Calcutta style of figurative and landscape painting.

There is an essence of Calcutta style in his work, having spent his childhood in West Bengal. Though Dutta’s work is mostly figurative, architectural props add character to his canvases. Indian miniature paintings have a great influence on the artist’s style of representation. The artist consciously minimises the size of work giving the viewers a break from the reality of the chaotic urban lifestyle. The artist has symbolised people and place in his artwork covering famous architectural buildings such as the Gateway of India in Mumbai and the Charminar in Hyderabad. Working with oil and acrylic on canvas, the artist has displayed his perspective of the vibrancy and drudgery of urban life. Dutta has been exhibiting his work regularly since 1998. Apart from participating in several group shows he also had four solo shows to his credit. The artist presently lives and works in Baroda.