| Medium | : | Tempera |
|---|---|---|
| Height | : | 28 inch / 71.1 cm |
| Width | : | 22 inch / 55.9 cm |
| Surface | : | Board |
| Style | : | Animals paintings, Figurative Paintings |
| Dimension | : | W: 55.9 cm × H: 71.1 cm |
| Year | : | 2019 |
Bibi by Lalu Prasad Shaw captures a serene domestic moment between a woman and a bright green parrot. Her vibrant red sari, traditional jewellery and delicate flowers stand out beautifully against the bold yellow background. With its clean lines, decorative patterns and charming simplicity, the work transforms an ordinary moment into a warm and poetic glimpse of everyday Indian life.
Lalu Prasad Shaw | Bibi | Tempera on Board | 28 x 22 inches | 2019
In Bibi, Lalu Prasad Shaw presents a graceful woman in a quiet, intimate domestic setting. Dressed in a richly patterned red sari with elegant borders, she stands beside a small table carrying a flowering plant, while a brightly coloured green parrot watches her from its hanging cage. Her raised hand gently reaches towards the bird, creating a tender sense of interaction between the woman and her surroundings.
The vivid yellow background gives the composition a warm, almost sunlit quality, while the red sari and green parrot create a lively contrast. Small details—the delicate flowers, traditional jewellery, neatly arranged hair, and the sprig of flowers held in her other hand—add warmth and personality to the scene.
Shaw’s characteristic stylised figures, strong outlines and decorative patterns give the painting a distinctly Indian visual language. The simplicity of the setting makes the everyday moment feel almost timeless, as though the viewer has been given a glimpse into a peaceful domestic ritual. There is a gentle balance between elegance and simplicity throughout the work.
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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