| Medium | : | Tempera |
|---|---|---|
| Height | : | 21.9 inch / 55.6 cm |
| Width | : | 15 inch / 38.1 cm |
| Surface | : | Board |
| Style | : | Figurative Paintings |
| Dimension | : | W: 38.1 cm × H: 55.6 cm |
| Year | : | 2020 |
A bold tempera painting by Lalu Prasad Shaw depicting a stylized black cat holding a fish, set against a vivid red background. Defined by clean lines and flat colors, the work blends folk inspiration with modern simplicity, creating a striking and symbolic composition.
Lalu Prasad Shaw | Untitled | Tempera on Board | 21.9 x 15 inches | 2020
This striking tempera painting by Lalu Prasad Shaw presents a bold and iconic visual language rooted in folk and modernist sensibilities. The composition features a stylized black cat, rendered with clean contours and minimal detailing, holding a fish delicately in its mouth. Set against a vibrant red background, the artwork immediately captures attention through its dramatic contrast and simplified yet expressive forms.
Shaw’s signature approach — marked by flat color application, controlled line work, and a subtle narrative tone — transforms an everyday scene into a symbolic and almost whimsical moment. The cat, often associated with mystery and instinct, paired with the fish, a motif of sustenance and desire, creates a layered visual metaphor. The almond-shaped eyes, precise whiskers, and poised posture give the subject a quiet intensity, while the restrained palette enhances its graphic elegance.
Executed in tempera, the surface retains a matte richness, emphasizing texture and handcrafted finesse. The work reflects Shaw’s deep engagement with Bengali folk traditions while maintaining a contemporary aesthetic appeal, making it both culturally rooted and visually timeless.
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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