| Medium | : | Acrylic |
|---|---|---|
| Height | : | 24 inch / 61 cm |
| Width | : | 20 inch / 50.8 cm |
| Surface | : | Canvas |
| Style | : | Animals paintings, Figurative Paintings |
| Dimension | : | W: 50.8 cm × H: 61 cm |
| Year | : | 2001 |
A powerful figurative work by Bijan Choudhury, Untitled (2001) captures an intimate moment of everyday life through a group of expressive figures gathered around a large fish. Earthy colours, bold outlines, and simplified forms give the scene a distinctive warmth and visual strength. The painting beautifully combines elements of rural life with Choudhury’s characteristic expressive treatment of the human figure.
Bijan Choudhury | Untitled | Acrylic on Canvas | 20 x 24 inches | 2004
Bijan Choudhury – Untitled, 2001 is a striking figurative composition that brings together everyday life, labour, and quiet human emotion. Painted in acrylic on canvas, the work presents a group of figures gathered around a large fish, creating a scene that feels both intimate and symbolic.
At the centre, a seated woman holds the fish across her lap, while two other figures appear behind her, observing and engaging with the moment. The expressive, simplified faces and elongated forms give the painting a distinctive character. Choudhury’s use of earthy greens, warm ochres, soft greys, and deep blues creates a strong visual rhythm, while the darker background makes the figures stand out prominently.
The details—the fishing basket, vessels, fish, and the figures’ gestures—give the composition a sense of everyday rural life. At the same time, the unusual arrangement and monumental treatment of the human figures add a deeper, almost theatrical quality to the scene. There is a sense of community and shared activity, but also a quiet dignity in the way the people are portrayed.
The bold outlines, muted colours, and sculptural treatment of the figures are characteristic of a work that balances realism with an expressive, modernist approach. It is a visually engaging painting that rewards closer looking, revealing small details and gestures within the larger composition.
Artist Bijan Choudhury was born in Faridpur in 1931. He was one of the early practitioners of contemporary art in Bengal. Every serious workshop would find him involved in an exchange of thoughts and idioms of visual and literary expressions.Born to journalist Kunjabehari Chowdhury, Bijan Chowdhury was raised in an atmosphere steeped in music, painting and drama. Bijan Choudhury has worked on the imagery of Bengali poetry as it has evolved since its earliest days to the present, covering almost more than four centuries of poetical development.
His paintings have narrative elements but are in no way illustrative. He is here both as a composer and interpreter. His archetypal imagery and symbolism are not explicit as in the recent Indian variety of Surrealism and fantastic art. He has always avoided the sensational and the fearful aspects of art. He has searched for significant visual forms that have behind them the range and scope of Human Art since the earliest cave dwelling days.
Since his early days at Kolkata’s Govt College of Art and Craft he was deeply involved in Marxist politics. This led to his being expelled before completing his diploma but strengthened his bond with Dhaka as it prompted him to graduate from their Govt Institute of Arts. And till his last breath he considered Bangladesh to be his own.
Artist Bijan Chowdhury passed away in 2012.
Education
1945-49: GCAC, Kolkata; 1953: Grad., Govt. Institute of Arts, Dhaka.
Exhibitions
1959 Group show, Society of Contemporary Artists, Calcutta.
1960 Group show, Society of Contemporary Artists, Calcutta.
1960 Bangla Sanskriti Sammelan, Calcutta and Bombay.
1962 Solo show at Arts and Prints Gallery, Calcutta.
1963 Solo show at Arts and Prints Gallery, Calcutta.
1963 Solo Exhibition at Patna.
1964 Eight Painters from Calcutta, AIFACS Gallery, New Delhi.
1964 Calcutta Painters group show, Calcutta.
1965 Calcutta Painters group show, Calcutta.
1966 Show in honour of Giacometti, Industry House, Calcutta.
1968 Exhibition with Paritosh Sen, Pravas Sen, Sarbari Roy Chowdhury, Mahim Rudra, Calcutta.
1969 West Bengal Artists, sponsored by Srinantwu, Bombay.
1974 Exhibition at Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Calcutta.
1974 Calcutta Painters group show, Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Calcutta.
1975 Calcutta Painters group show, Sridharani Art Gallery, New Delhi.
1975 Participated in the Third Triennale, New Delhi.
1977 Retrospective, Allai
Awards
1963 Academy of Fine Arts Award, Calcutta.
1978 Rabindra Bharati Award, Calcutta.
1978 Documentary coloured film entitled `Bijan`, made by Film Australia, Film Division of Govt. of Australia.
1995 `Abanindra Puroshkar`, Govt. of West Bengal, Calcutta.
1996 : He also received William Carey Award.
2004: Doctor of Literature, RBU
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