BIJAN CHOUDHURY
Born in Faridpur, Bengal (now Bangladesh), he was an eminent painter, one of the earliest known practitioners of Contemporary Art in Bengal. His style was influenced by ‘Kalighat Pat’, and he was adept in Mural paintings. He graduated from the Dacca Art College.
In 1960, he, along with other artists, formed the ‘Society of Contemporary Artists’, Calcutta; and in 1964, along with Rabin Mondal, Nikhil Biswas, Dhiraj Choudhury, Jogen Chowdhury and Prokash Karmakar, he founded the ‘Calcutta Painters’, and is best known for his activities as a part of the ‘Calcutta Painters’.
During 1976 to 1980, he headed the Indian College of Art and Draftsmanship, Calcutta; and was also a member of the Advisory Committee for Fine Arts, Government of West Bengal. He believed in maintaining a balance between emotions and visuals and his paintings also reflected the same, drew on varied narrative elements, his immaculate mastery of lines never degenerated from illustration to illusion, and what exactly emerged was subjective and relevant to day-to-day life.
He also wrote a book on art, titled ‘Silpa Katha’.
Exhibition
(i) 1974 – Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata; 1974 & 1986 – ‘Retrospective’, Alliance Francaise, Kolkata & Art Heritage, New Delhi, respectively; 1982 – ‘Festival of India’; 1989 – ‘Paintings on Indian Music’, Gallery 88, Kolkata.
(ii) 1982 – Miniature Exposition in Paris; 1982 – Stockholm, with other Indian artists; 1984 – Goethe Institute, Munich; 1986 – ‘Trends in Bengal Modern Art’, Commonwealth Institute, London.
Awards & Honours
(i) 1963 – Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata; 1978 – Rabindra Bharati Award, Kolkata; 1995 – ‘Abanindra Puroshkar’ by the Government of West Bengal.
(ii) 1978 – A coloured documentary, ‘Bijan’ by Film Australia was dedicated to him.
(iii) 2004 – Doctorate by Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata.
(iv) After his demise, the Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts exhibited his paintings in May 2012, at the Bengal Gallery.
