Suprabhat at work. Picture by Gopal Senapati

A horizontal line usually is a defining character in his pictures. He has not done this intentionally, but it has developed in his works. Suprabhat Bhaduri likes to paint landscapes and feels that these are more popular than his figurative works. “I like to do creative work with figures which does not always appeal to viewers, but this is my hobby. I like to experiment with my style,” he said.

Suprabhat’s initiation to art was through his father, who was not a professional artist. Later, he went to Ramabrata Das in Ramrajatala to take formal lessons. But taking up art as a profession was not on his mind till he completed his graduation in B Com. He joined the College of Visual Arts and trained under Suvaprasanna. He studied there for four years under the close guidance of the artist. “He would personally look into each of our work, coming to each one of us during lessons. If we went wrong, he would correct us,” said Suprabhat.

In 1989-90, Suprabhat became a professional artist. “At that time, I mainly did figurative works,” said Suprabhat. Although his human figures are experimental, appearing as if they are being viewed through an X-ray, Suprabhat does not paint his pictures with any social or moral message. “The paintings are purely my creation and fantasy. When I work, I only think about what I am creating,” said Suprabhat.

He shifted to painting landscapes some two years back. “I had to change my style so I switched to landscapes. For some reason, my landscapes were far more popular. Now I do both kinds of paintings,” he said. For inspiration, Suprabhat prefers Salvador Dali. “I always liked Dali’s works although I do not paint as bizarre as he did, but his works have vibrant colour combinations,” said Suprabhat.

Through his career, Suprabhat has been associated with many artist groups. He did exhibitions with Floaters Club in Calcutta, Bengal Contemporary and also Ekatto and Riddhi from Howrah. His first solo exhibition took place only this year in February-March at the Academy of Fine Arts. “It is too expensive to hold solo exhibitions and I realised that after I organised this show on my own,” smiled Suprabhat. Outside Calcutta, Suprabhat has been to shows in Mumbai, Aifacs gallery in Delhi and twice to Chitrakala Parishad in Bangalore. One of Suprabhat’s latest painting is a figurative one based on waking up in the morning. “I had no particular idea in mind when I started this painting. The final outcome is what I am waiting to see myself,” he said.

As far as teaching is concerned, Suprabhat feels that he does not have the patience for it. “It is impossible for me to patiently teach naughty children, many of whom have no interest in what they are learning. I would like to invest that time in painting. At present I am concentrating on painting more pictures,” said Suprabhat.

More about suprabhat

• DoB: September 30, 1964
• Born in: Howrah
• Family: Two sisters
• Education: B Com, Diploma in Fine Arts
• Loves: Listening to music
• Hates: Lies