| Medium | : | Acrylic |
|---|---|---|
| Height | : | 28 inch / 71.1 cm |
| Width | : | 20 inch / 50.8 cm |
| Surface | : | Paper |
| Style | : | Figurative Paintings |
| Dimension | : | W: 50.8 cm × H: 71.1 cm |
| Year | : | 1990 |
A beautifully stylized portrait by Prokash Karmakar depicting a woman gazing toward a crescent moon. Through flowing lines, harmonious colors, and a dreamlike composition, the artist creates a poetic meditation on beauty, reflection, and the quiet emotions that emerge beneath the night sky.
Prokash Karmakar | Untitled | Acrylic on Paper | 28 x 20 inches | 1990
This evocative untitled work by Prokash Karmakar captures a moment of quiet contemplation beneath the glow of a crescent moon. The composition features a solitary female figure rendered in the artist’s signature stylized manner, her face tilted skyward as though lost in thought, memory, or silent conversation with the night. The moon, suspended against a textured backdrop, becomes both a visual anchor and a symbol of longing, dreams, and introspection.
Karmakar’s mastery lies in his ability to transform simple forms into emotionally resonant imagery. The flowing, rhythmically patterned hair creates a sense of movement and elegance, while the graceful contours of the figure lend the work a sculptural quality. The restrained palette of soft flesh tones, deep blues, and luminous greens enhances the painting’s poetic atmosphere, allowing emotion to emerge through form rather than elaborate detail.
The relationship between the woman and the moon invites multiple interpretations. It may suggest a moment of reflection, a celebration of feminine strength and beauty, or a connection between the human spirit and the natural world. The simplicity of the composition heightens its emotional impact, drawing the viewer into a space of serenity and imagination.
Rich in symbolism yet remarkably accessible, this artwork exemplifies Prokash Karmakar’s ability to blend modernist aesthetics with lyrical storytelling, creating a timeless image that speaks to universal experiences of hope, desire, and contemplation.
Prokash Karmakar’s art emerged from a contemplation of life, through the prism of personal traumatic experiences intermingled with dark moments in india’s recent history.
He learnt painting at his father, artist-teacher Prahlad Karmakar’s atelier, till the socio-political turmoil of the 1940s and his father’s early death put an end to it.
After his matriculation, Karmakar joined Government College of Arts and Crafts, Calcutta, but quit soon thereafter for reasons of poverty. In between, he designed book covers and worked as an illustrator for his livelihood; he even joined the army but absconded after two years, driven by his desire to paint.
Karmakar learnt the techniques of transparent and opaque watercolours from Kamalaranjan Thakur, a former student of his father, and Dilip Das Gupta. However, it was senior artist Nirode Majumdar—once a student of Abanindranath Tagore—who acquainted Karmakar with artistic and philosophical concepts, techniques, coherence of lines, and the breaking of form. Majumdar had recently returned from France after a stay of twelve years, and shared his rich experience with his protégé.
Karmakar held his first exhibition in 1959 on the railings of Indian Museum, Calcutta. In 1969-70, Karmakar visited France on a fellowship to study art museums, an inspiring exposure for the expressionist artist who, being ‘primarily a colourist’, began to create his figurative monochrome paintings in the 1970s. He won the Lalit Kala Akademi’s national award in 1968, and his work is part of important collections globally.
He passed away on 24 February 2014.
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