Jalandhar’s unsung sculptor whose works grace homes of rich and famous
The vast, sprawling ocean and the virgin environs of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, along with the tranquil charm of Shantiniketan, shaped his childhood and eventually moulded his artistic aesthetic.
War, social media and the act of publicity (even of himself) are "disturbances" to the artistic pursuit of this artist who, on his best days, can be found in his favourite place-his backyard workshop (or college)-chipping away at his next best bronze, clay, or scrap sculpture, or dabbling with colours for his next masterful painting.
Jalandhar's best-kept secret-immensely acclaimed in art circles yet not someone you could call famous-sculptor and painter Basudeb Biswas' artworks dot the homes of the rich and fashionable across the world. Yet, he is always fleeing fame.
Last year, he was one among the six jury members of the Annual Art Exhibition of the National Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi (deciding the winners from thousands of artworks received from across the country). His group and solo exhibitions have been frequent fixtures at the Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai. In 2007, his exhibition was inaugurated by Gulzar Sahib and famed costume designer and theatrist couple Salim Arif and Lubna Salim. His own artworks have also been selected for the Annual Exhibition multiple times.
A four to five-time state awardee, Biswas' tall, stylised, fashion model-like bronze figurines and marble busts of elegant, pouted women dot many homes of socialites and celebrities. Those included in his client/commission list are the Queen of Morocco (who sourced his sculpture from the international Bougainvillea Art Gallery at Udaipur) and Lord Swaraj Paul (to whom he gifted his sculpture during a visit), as well as other private and public collections in Italy, Canada, Mexico, England, Singapore and numerous gardens, hospitals, art hubs and public spaces in Punjab and across India. However, his aura is essentially that of a meditative ascetic rather than a famous persona.
Biswas says, "Almost always and especially recently, news has always been a distraction for me. I need to think and devote time to art. I can't bother myself with the politics of why and what things are happening around me. It will unsettle my energy. So if you want me to switch off the lights, I will do that-but I won't delve any deeper into the whats and whys. I like to keep those concerns away from my thought field."
An Associate Professor at the Apeejay College of Fine Arts straight out of his graduate and postgraduate education in arts at Shantiniketan, Biswas, as a student, witnessed the likes of Ram Kinkar Baij frequenting the Shantiniketan campus. They were tutored by greats and experienced a Shantiniketan where even boundary walls weren't present-people could walk in and out at will.
"Andaman taught me vastness and exposed me to verdant, virgin wilderness in a rustic childhood. At Shantiniketan, we learnt art in a brilliant, open setting from the best, yet without boundaries-mental or physical. Great artists walked or cycled around the campus."
He also does his bit for society-mostly anonymously. From Jalandhar-based Virsa Vihar to the Durga Pooja pandals in Jalandhar, to Yuva Theatre's outings and the stage of the Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan, Biswas has been the behind-the-scenes theme designer of countless settings-for which he never claims formal credit.
