| Medium | : | Tempera |
|---|---|---|
| Height | : | 20 inch / 50.8 cm |
| Width | : | 14 inch / 35.6 cm |
| Surface | : | Board |
| Style | : | Animals paintings, Figurative Paintings |
| Dimension | : | W: 35.6 cm × H: 50.8 cm |
| Year | : | 2015 |
A delightful portrait of a gentleman returning with his catch, accompanied by a loyal dog amidst a serene garden setting. Combining humour, simplicity, and folk-inspired elegance, the artwork celebrates the charm of everyday life and the enduring bond between people, animals, and their surroundings.
Lalu Prasad Shaw | Babu | Tempera on Board | 20 x 14 inches | 2015
This charming artwork captures a delightful slice of everyday life, portraying a gentleman strolling with quiet confidence, accompanied by a loyal dog and carrying the simple rewards of a successful day. Executed in a refined folk-inspired style, the composition combines wit, elegance, and storytelling through clean lines, flat planes of colour, and carefully balanced forms.
Dressed in a traditional kurta and dhoti, the figure carries a fishing rod over his shoulder while holding a bucket containing freshly caught fish. His distinctive spectacles, relaxed posture, and thoughtful expression lend the character a unique personality, making him feel instantly familiar and relatable. Beside him stands a watchful dog, adding warmth and companionship to the scene, while the lush banana plants in the background evoke the atmosphere of a peaceful Bengali household or village courtyard.
The artist transforms an ordinary moment into a memorable narrative, celebrating the beauty of routine life and the dignity found in simple pleasures. The harmonious colour palette, decorative composition, and understated humour create a work that is both visually engaging and emotionally inviting. Rich in cultural character and storytelling, this artwork brings a sense of nostalgia, warmth, and quiet joy to any collection.
Born in Suri Bengal, in 1937, Lalu Prasad Shaw obtained a Diploma in Painting from the Government College of Art and Craft, Calcutta, in 1959.
Despite training in Company School art, traditional Kalighat pats and Ajanta cave frescos, Shaw evolved his distinctive style to work in watercolours and oil. His teachers were some of the leading artists of the time, such as Gopal Ghose, Rathin Maitra, and Maniklal Banerjee.
In the 1970s, Shaw mastered the genre of graphics — initiated by the Society of Contemporary Artists — expressing it through the abstract form. Shaw experimented with the two-dimensional, geometric and non-figurative, as is evident in his lithographs.
Unlike his prints, Shaw’s paintings are charged with nostalgia and are object-specific. His brooding characters — men, women, and children — seem frozen into a kind of quiescent gesture; they are formal and speechless, but still expressive. Drawing from Mughal miniatures and adhering largely to profiles framed within borders along the edges, Shaw depicts faces of ordinary people, emphasising their physical characteristics. He has also experimented with landscapes, appearing to merge the urban and rural visual in styles ranging from the minimalist to cubist-inspired. His confident use of broad blocks of colours placed harmoniously is seen here too.
Shaw has exhibited extensively in India and abroad and his works form part of national and international collections. He has received prestigious awards like the West Bengal Lalit Kala Akademi award, the national award of the Lalit Kala Akademi, and the Birla Academy award. He lives and works in Kolkata.
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