If anyone were to ask me two things that endear me to Bengal, without doubt it would be the to-die-for detectable mishti or mithai like sandesh, rosogullas, mishti doi (all under one sub-head) and the other without doubt is the contemporary and traditional art from the state.

The lyricism of the lightly sweetened mishti and elegance of the art from the region has the ability to linger in one’s physical and emotional palette, releasing its flavours ever so gently. It is indeed an affair for a lifetime!
While I personally might not much care for the over-ornate leather-work from Shantiniketan or an overdose of batik or for that matter kantha embroidery that makes me want to scream, I can’t help falling in love with the floor painting or alopona or the vibrant and fabulous watercolours that are the hallmark of artists from the region. I am sure it is the refinement of the sensibility that creates and accepts the light flavours of the mishti that creates and accepts the art from here — no matter how much fun the other regions make of the fish-eating Bengali and his “coalture” (read culture)!
These thoughts lapped against the heartscape, as I came away from the newly-opened handkerchief-sized La Petite Art Gallery that is showing La Gazab — an exhibition of six artists from Bengal: Painters Santanu Roy, Prabal C. Boral, Pranab Roy, Rajib Deyashi, Purnendu Bikash Mondal and sculptor Amiya Nimai Dhara. Interestingly, all of them have diverse styles yet the lyricism of the Bengal School is happily very much in place.
Santanu Roy keeps the flag of the watercolours flying high in his selection of six works in a sophisticated colour palette of turquoise, navy and midnight blue. Years spent in Siliguri with its gentle hillocks and mountains of Darjeeling have a bearing on his works as he meanders through the landscape holding the spectator’s hand. There are shades of influence of Russian painters as he manages to capture the details delicately.
Boral’s works have a uniquely European flavour with Indian subjects like a work about the Devi complete with a tiger in place. His extensive travels through Europe and his fascination for the modern European masters have left their imprint on his sensibility including the way he has chosen to frame the works.
Deyashi, meanwhile, veers towards the spiritual as he draws from the symbols like the joba flower used in the worship of Goddess Kali and the damru as a representation of Lord Shiva and the Kali’s tongue as a sign in very detailed manner. The light of the divine glows in the works, as they set the mood for the approaching festive season.
Pranab Roy’s works in vibrant colours are energetic in their rainbow appeal, charm and grace. His canvas’ are populated with beautiful and elegant women in a myriad moods. The women entice you to delve deeper into their being, as they hold you enthralled.
Mondal and Dhara’s sensibilities border on the kitschy as they try to marry the contemporary with the traditional and the results don’t really take off, as they need to be more carefully thought out. Blending traditional with the modern needs a far more seamless approach in the mind first before it can translate on to canvas or bronze. Mondal’s earlier work is very fine and elegant, so it makes you wonder what went wrong. And planting foliage or diyas into sculptures is not a good idea. Wonder who or what made him do it. It reduces them to being planters or diyas and no different from the kitschy folk terracotta
stuff available on street corners and waysides. But then sensibility is tough to inculcate. And refinement of the mishti comes with years of practice.