Artist recreates charm of rural Bengal

The crimson and red rays of the setting sun spread across the infinite expanse of the sky as villagers wrap up the day's chores.
This quintessential scene pulled out from the daily life led in the Bengal countryside has been reproduced on canvas in one of artist Bikash Poddar's Untitled paintings.
The artist who hails from the hilly town of Kaliaganj in West Bengal has created a series of landscapes inspired from the rural milieu of the state.
The artworks are on display here as part of an exhibition titled, 'Kaleido-scapes: Nature in Vibrant Hues'.
In Poddar's works, which are best known for their typical touch of Bengal, one can find images of fishermen at work in the sea, boatmen anchoring their boats -- scenes that are an everyday affair in the hinterlands.

In another of his Untitled works, he uses dominant shades of blue to showcase the "calmness" of suburbs.

"In most of my paintings the mood forged almost resembles the calm before a storm with the humans being precarious and caught between situations. The paintings are a symbiotic relationship that evokes the relation between man and his creations together," he says.
The 63-year-old artist's dexterity lies in his use of the washing technique to paint on paper that makes the colours blend effortlessly to give the final artwork an additional dimension, bringing the depiction closer to reality.
"I paint in layers and try to extemporise, while giving the technique a new dimension which is usually not practised by contemporary artists in India," claims Poddar.

Underway at Gallerie Ganesha here, the exhibition also has on display evocative paintings of ruined temples.
"His works are predominantly naturescapes but they also feature human figures in perfect harmony with nature. This calm dialogue between man and nature is what makes his works special," says Shobha Bhatia, gallery director and curator of the show.
The exhibition is set to continue till April 25.