Ramananda Bandyopadhyay

Born in 1936, in the city of Birbhum, Ramananda Bandyopadhyay completed his graduation in Fine Arts from Kala Bhavan, Shantiniketan, under the guidance of Nandalal Bose. As the last surviving representative of the Bengal School, a lyrical and romantic atmosphere pervades his work. Inspired by the simplicity and simple life of peasants, his work has a radiant innocence that is strongly reminiscent of an earlier time when life had dignity and a sense of grace. A very distinctive feature of Ramananda Bandyopadhyay's work is the recurring use of a palette comprising reds, browns, yellows, greens, and whites. In a career spanning more than five decades, he has always used the same colors.

Ramananda Bandyopadhyay is a worthy representative of the Bengal School of Art. He is inspired by the simplicity and simple life of the rustics. An admirer of Nandalal Bose, he is unabashedly inspired by the master's work and has modeled his art in the same vein. Lyrical and romantic, Bandyopadhyay's canvases have a radiant innocence that is strongly reminiscent of an earlier era when life had dignity and grace. A very distinctive feature of Bandyopadhyay's work is the recurring use of a palette composed mainly of reds, browns, greens, and whites. In a career spanning nearly four decades, he has always used the same colors. I owe the three or four colors used in my paintings exclusively to my mother's addiction to bread (betel leaf). The green of the betel leaf, the white of the limes, the brown of the catechus and the red of the chewed bread juice that turned my mother's lips into a pair of pure gems, says Bandyopadhyay while explaining his predilection for these tones.

Mythology is a favorite subject of this artist. Drawing on the ancient and rich cultural heritage of his home state and country, Bandyopadhyay paints the many gods and goddesses that inhabit Hinduism and the fascinating tales that abound in Indian literature. This strong bias toward religious themes can be attributed in part to his upbringing. His parents were ardent followers of the religious principles of the Ramakrishna Mission and the artist himself spent most of his working life as Director of the Ramakrishna Mission Museum and Art Gallery in Calcutta.

It is not that Bandyopadhyay lives completely in the past and does not observe modern life. In fact, all of his canvases are firmly rooted in contemporary style and technique. Many of his paintings depict the monotonous existence of the middle class in any large city going about their daily activities. He transforms even these mundane subjects into paintings endowed with rare grace and beauty. A combination of tradition and today's world gives Bandyopadhyay's canvases the best of both worlds.

BORN

1936 in Birbhum

EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS

1957 Diploma of Fine Arts Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan.

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2005 Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry

2003 Retrospective at the Academy of Fine Arts of Calcutta

1993 Retrospective at Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Calcutta

1969 Santiniketan, New Delhi, Calcutta

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2007 An Evening in Paris Rome London, Sanskriti Gallery, Calcutta

1972 Indian Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi

1971, 75, 81, 86 Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta

PARTICIPATIONS

2010 Summer Show 2010, Center for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata

Annual Exhibition 2009, La-Mere, Sri Aurobindo Institute of Culture, Kolkata

2001 Annual All India Exhibition, Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata

HONORS AND AWARD

2000 Abanindranath Puraskar, Government of West Bengal, Calcutta

1976 Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Calcutta

1972 Indian Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi

1961, 1972, 1978 and 1980 National Academy Award, Lait Kala Akademi, New Delhi

1961 Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta