| Medium | : | Acrylic |
|---|---|---|
| Height | : | 20 inch / 50.8 cm |
| Width | : | 28 inch / 71.1 cm |
| Surface | : | Paper |
| Style | : | Animals paintings, Figurative Paintings |
| Dimension | : | W: 71.1 cm × H: 50.8 cm |
| Year | : | 2007 |
A charming and imaginative composition by Prokash Karmakar portraying a woman milking a cow while a colorful bird observes from above. Executed in the artist’s signature stylized manner, the work combines elements of rural life, folklore, and modern expression, creating a scene that is both playful and deeply evocative.
Prokash Karmakar | Untitled | Acrylic on Paper | 28 x 20 inches | 2007
This untitled work by Prokash Karmakar is a captivating example of the artist’s distinctive visual language, where everyday rural life is transformed into a poetic and imaginative narrative. Rendered in soft yet vibrant tones, the composition depicts a woman seated beside a cow, engaged in the timeless act of milking. Perched atop the animal is a brightly colored bird, adding a playful and symbolic dimension to the scene.
Rather than striving for realism, Karmakar simplifies forms into bold outlines and stylized shapes, creating a dreamlike atmosphere that feels both intimate and surreal. The cow, often a symbol of nourishment, abundance, and rural heritage, becomes the focal point around which the relationship between human, animal, and nature unfolds. The woman’s expressive gaze and the bird’s watchful presence introduce a sense of curiosity and quiet storytelling, inviting viewers to interpret the scene through their own imagination.
The muted background allows the figures to emerge with clarity, emphasizing the artist’s mastery of line, composition, and color harmony. This artwork reflects Karmakar’s ability to blend folk-inspired aesthetics with modern artistic sensibilities, resulting in a work that is both culturally rooted and universally engaging. Filled with warmth, symbolism, and gentle humor, the painting celebrates the enduring connection between people, animals, and the rhythms of everyday life.
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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