| Medium | : | Tempera |
|---|---|---|
| Height | : | 22 inch / 55.9 cm |
| Width | : | 28 inch / 71.1 cm |
| Surface | : | Board |
| Style | : | Figurative Paintings |
| Dimension | : | W: 71.1 cm × H: 55.9 cm |
| Year | : | 2017 |
A vibrant and intimate figurative work by Lalu Prasad Shaw, Babu Bibi portrays a man and woman sharing a quiet moment, surrounded by bold colour and delicate details. The striking red background, patterned blue garments, yellow flower and floating butterfly create a playful yet nostalgic atmosphere. Shaw’s characteristic stylised figures and decorative approach give this work a warm, distinctly Indian charm.
Lalu Prasad Shaw | Babu Bibi | Tempera on Board | 28 x 22 inches | 2017
This charming work by Lalu Prasad Shaw captures a quiet, intimate moment between a man and a woman, rendered in the artist’s distinctive figurative style. The two figures stand together behind a simple wooden railing, facing one another with an understated sense of curiosity and affection. The woman, dressed in a beautifully patterned blue sari with a warm-toned blouse, wears traditional jewellery and has her long dark hair falling gracefully over her shoulder. Opposite her, the man is portrayed in a striped blue kurta, holding a bright yellow flower close to his face.
A delicate butterfly floats between the two figures, adding a gentle, almost poetic touch to the composition. The vivid red background creates a striking contrast with the blue clothing, while the yellow accents of the flower, jewellery and butterfly bring warmth and visual balance.
Shaw’s simplified forms, clean outlines and carefully patterned clothing give the work a distinctly Indian character, while the restrained expressions leave room for the viewer to imagine the relationship between the two figures. There is something wonderfully nostalgic about the scene—it feels like a glimpse into an everyday moment transformed into a timeless image.
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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