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In pictures: Discovering Ray through his art

A glimpse into Satyajit Ray’s work as a graphic illustrator and designer

Shayeree Ghosh Published 28.02.22, 04:38 PM
Filmmaker extraordinaire Satyajit Ray was prolific as an illustrator and designer too, whose work has graced the covers of many books. He would also design the posters of his own films, and his designs are often seen as a metaphor of the content
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Filmmaker extraordinaire Satyajit Ray was prolific as an illustrator and designer too, whose work has graced the covers of many books. He would also design the posters of his own films, and his designs are often seen as a metaphor of the content

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He drew design influences from Western art, calligraphy, Japanese wash techniques and even the art of Santiniketan. Ray also drew on traditional Bengali woodcuts and Kalighat ‘patachitra’ art for his illustrations His work transformed the way graphic design was looked at in the Bengali publishing industry in the 1940s
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He drew design influences from Western art, calligraphy, Japanese wash techniques and even the art of Santiniketan. Ray also drew on traditional Bengali woodcuts and Kalighat ‘patachitra’ art for his illustrations His work transformed the way graphic design was looked at in the Bengali publishing industry in the 1940s

Manik Da: Memoirs Of Satyajit Ray by Nemai Ghosh, HarperCollins
The woodcuts he created for Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s ‘Aam Aatir Bhepu,’ an abridged version of ‘Pather Panchali’ for children, exhibit a simple vitality. Some of the scenes he drew at the time, such as the children huddling together during the storm, made their way onto celluloid
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The woodcuts he created for Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s ‘Aam Aatir Bhepu,’ an abridged version of ‘Pather Panchali’ for children, exhibit a simple vitality. Some of the scenes he drew at the time, such as the children huddling together during the storm, made their way onto celluloid

The Satyajit Ray Film and Study Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz
His cover design for Jibanananda Das’ ‘Banalata Sen’ is a homage to Rabindranath Tagore's paintings of the stylized female face. The texture created by the grey, neat lines in ‘Banalata Sen’ cleverly uses negative space to flesh out the contour of a mysterious woman peering from behind the foliage
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His cover design for Jibanananda Das’ ‘Banalata Sen’ is a homage to Rabindranath Tagore's paintings of the stylized female face. The texture created by the grey, neat lines in ‘Banalata Sen’ cleverly uses negative space to flesh out the contour of a mysterious woman peering from behind the foliage

The Satyajit Ray Film and Study Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz
One of the more notable and recognised covers designed by Ray is the one of the book ‘Khai Khai’ written by his father, Sukumar Ray
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One of the more notable and recognised covers designed by Ray is the one of the book ‘Khai Khai’ written by his father, Sukumar Ray

The Satyajit Ray Film and Study Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz
The profile of a woman is used as a motif on the cover of Leela Majumdar's ‘Jonaki.’ The title letters, separated and arranged in zigzag alignment, glow yellow against the deep blue background of night, emanating the ‘jonaki, or firefly darting around
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The profile of a woman is used as a motif on the cover of Leela Majumdar's ‘Jonaki.’ The title letters, separated and arranged in zigzag alignment, glow yellow against the deep blue background of night, emanating the ‘jonaki, or firefly darting around

The Satyajit Ray Film and Study Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz
A close look at the book jacket of the Bengali translation of Jim Corbett’s book, ‘Man Eaters of Kumaon’ reveals how Ray uses metonymy as a design principle
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A close look at the book jacket of the Bengali translation of Jim Corbett’s book, ‘Man Eaters of Kumaon’ reveals how Ray uses metonymy as a design principle

The Satyajit Ray Film and Study Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz
Achintya Kumar Sengupta’s book, ‘Bede’ has the two Bengali syllables put together almost like mirror image
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Achintya Kumar Sengupta’s book, ‘Bede’ has the two Bengali syllables put together almost like mirror image

The Satyajit Ray Film and Study Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz
Ray experimented with Bengali word letter forms, most notably in a series of cover illustrations for the literary magazine ‘Ekshan’ (Ekhon) that were simply graphic variations of the title lettering
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Ray experimented with Bengali word letter forms, most notably in a series of cover illustrations for the literary magazine ‘Ekshan’ (Ekhon) that were simply graphic variations of the title lettering

The Satyajit Ray Film and Study Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz
His cover design for ‘The Discovery of India,’ written by Jawaharlal Nehru, is classically elegant, with a fading design of ‘jali’ work overlaid by graceful lettering
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His cover design for ‘The Discovery of India,’ written by Jawaharlal Nehru, is classically elegant, with a fading design of ‘jali’ work overlaid by graceful lettering

The Satyajit Ray Film and Study Center at the University of California, Santa Cruz
Ray designed four fonts for the English script, including Ray Roman, Ray Bizarre, Daphnis, and Holiday Script. Ray's fictional detective, Feluda, used his knowledge of typefaces to begin unraveling the mystery in ‘Feludar Goendagiri’, a short story and the first among the many in the detective series
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Ray designed four fonts for the English script, including Ray Roman, Ray Bizarre, Daphnis, and Holiday Script. Ray's fictional detective, Feluda, used his knowledge of typefaces to begin unraveling the mystery in ‘Feludar Goendagiri’, a short story and the first among the many in the detective series

Society for the Preservation of Satyajit Ray Archive
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Satyajit Ray Graphic Design Illustrator Illustration Pather Panchali Sukumar Ray The Discovery Of India Banalata Sen
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