Reviews
Not merely in theme but as well
in treatment, Phalguni shows
his easy manner and aptitude.
The way the idea and expression
combine in him, one cannot
but feel that it is something
spontaneous. His moods and
colors merge so effectively,
speaking a lot about his poetic
sensibility and courage of conviction.
Indeed no serious lover
of art can afford to ignore the
works of Phalguni Dasgupta.
Ajit Kumar Dutta
Former Secretery
Lalitkala Academy, New Delhi
****************
It takes all kinds to make a
world, and this is also true of
the world of art. There are artists
and artists. Clearly divorced
from grandiose sentiments,
Phalguni has no pretensions to
be a fanatic of either the left or
the right. He accepts life as she
is, with its ravishing flowers and
singing birds, its normal unhurried
joys and tears. And when
the artist is so immersed in the
life around him, his artistic
statement is bound to carry
convinction.
Keshav Malik
********
Transparent watercolor does
not allow any play with layers of
pigment. The transparency can
be retained only if the pigment
is diluted with water. In other
words, you have to be dexterous
with minimum color. The source
of life in such work is the paper.
Light pierces through the layers
of color. And the paper bears a
resemblance to the sandy shore
washed clean by the waves.
There is a finesse about this play
of color, a sultry strain that
many artists fail to grasp. And
this precisely is the strength of
Phalguni Dasgupta’s art. Phalguni
has continued to play up
the transparency of the medium
to the extent where even a
touch of the finger would leave
an imprint, as it would on the
virgin white of the paper.
Ganesh Haloi, Painter
**************
There is a sizable section among
art aficionados – spread over
India, UK, and the US – which
has no quarrel with Phalguni
Dasgupta’s lifetime affair with
watercolors. And the reasons
are not far to seek. For one, they
easily identify with his birds, his
Gods, with the Dehradun that is
his home, with the Bengal that
has been his world…For another,
they unwittingly respond even
when they do not discern, the
energy that is bound in his stylized
lines. They may not know
he has used fevicol or salt to
create optical effects but they
long for the ripples in the still
waters, floating clouds in the
clear blue sky, flaky snow in
Mussoorie or the rain-washed
green of the green outside his
door which he unpretentiously
brings home to his viewers. It
matters little that he is not following
the diktats of western art
pundits. It matters a lot more
that he followed the dictates of
his heart and never seen price
as an index of his stock in the
market.
Ratnottama Sengupta
****************
It is a privilege for the Birla
Academy of Art and Culture to
present the watercolors of Phalguni
Dasgupta. The veteran
watercolorist based in Delhi,
studied in Calcutta, has been
painting for the last three decades.
His simply constructive
stylized forms, fresh lyrical and
lucid watercolors have made a
significant place for him in the
contemporary art world.
Dr. Archana Roy
Director
Birla Academy of Art & Culture
*****************
Phalguni Dasgupta is one of those rare
artists who has stuck to his medium of
watercolors. The soft colors give a very
dreamy like pastel effect to most of his
paintings. His one-man shows in Bombay,
Calcutta and here in Delhi have received
critical acclaims.
Manjira Sarkar, Hindustan Times
Phalguni Dsgupta , well known for his
watercolors and paintings of birds, has
exploited the playful, naughty child
that is Ganesha, his pranks finding expression
in the canvases. Dasgupta creates
an image which is not only inextricably
rooted to Indian traditions, but is
in addition, regaled by life without reference
to religion. Phalguni Dasgupta
has mastered the medium of watercolors,
which is obvious from all his recent
works. The paintings have unusual
richness and depth in the colors
achieved through a perfect handling of
the medium.
Aruna Narlikar, Times of India
***********************
Not merely in theme but as well
in treatment, Phalguni shows
his easy manner and aptitude.
The way the idea and expression
combine in him, one cannot
but feel that it is something
spontaneous. His moods and
colors merge so effectively,
speaking a lot about his poetic
sensibility and courage of conviction.
Indeed no serious lover
of art can afford to ignore the
works of Phalguni Dasgupta.
Ajit Kumar Dutta
Former Secretery
Lalitkala Academy, New Delhi
****************
It takes all kinds to make a
world, and this is also true of
the world of art. There are artists
and artists. Clearly divorced
from grandiose sentiments,
Phalguni has no pretensions to
be a fanatic of either the left or
the right. He accepts life as she
is, with its ravishing flowers and
singing birds, its normal unhurried
joys and tears. And when
the artist is so immersed in the
life around him, his artistic
statement is bound to carry
convinction.
Keshav Malik
********
Transparent watercolor does
not allow any play with layers of
pigment. The transparency can
be retained only if the pigment
is diluted with water. In other
words, you have to be dexterous
with minimum color. The source
of life in such work is the paper.
Light pierces through the layers
of color. And the paper bears a
resemblance to the sandy shore
washed clean by the waves.
There is a finesse about this play
of color, a sultry strain that
many artists fail to grasp. And
this precisely is the strength of
Phalguni Dasgupta’s art. Phalguni
has continued to play up
the transparency of the medium
to the extent where even a
touch of the finger would leave
an imprint, as it would on the
virgin white of the paper.
Ganesh Haloi, Painter
**************
There is a sizable section among
art aficionados – spread over
India, UK, and the US – which
has no quarrel with Phalguni
Dasgupta’s lifetime affair with
watercolors. And the reasons
are not far to seek. For one, they
easily identify with his birds, his
Gods, with the Dehradun that is
his home, with the Bengal that
has been his world…For another,
they unwittingly respond even
when they do not discern, the
energy that is bound in his stylized
lines. They may not know
he has used fevicol or salt to
create optical effects but they
long for the ripples in the still
waters, floating clouds in the
clear blue sky, flaky snow in
Mussoorie or the rain-washed
green of the green outside his
door which he unpretentiously
brings home to his viewers. It
matters little that he is not following
the diktats of western art
pundits. It matters a lot more
that he followed the dictates of
his heart and never seen price
as an index of his stock in the
market.
Ratnottama Sengupta
****************
It is a privilege for the Birla
Academy of Art and Culture to
present the watercolors of Phalguni
Dasgupta. The veteran
watercolorist based in Delhi,
studied in Calcutta, has been
painting for the last three decades.
His simply constructive
stylized forms, fresh lyrical and
lucid watercolors have made a
significant place for him in the
contemporary art world.
Dr. Archana Roy
Director
Birla Academy of Art & Culture
*****************
Phalguni Dasgupta is one of those rare
artists who has stuck to his medium of
watercolors. The soft colors give a very
dreamy like pastel effect to most of his
paintings. His one-man shows in Bombay,
Calcutta and here in Delhi have received
critical acclaims.
Manjira Sarkar, Hindustan Times
Phalguni Dsgupta , well known for his
watercolors and paintings of birds, has
exploited the playful, naughty child
that is Ganesha, his pranks finding expression
in the canvases. Dasgupta creates
an image which is not only inextricably
rooted to Indian traditions, but is
in addition, regaled by life without reference
to religion. Phalguni Dasgupta
has mastered the medium of watercolors,
which is obvious from all his recent
works. The paintings have unusual
richness and depth in the colors
achieved through a perfect handling of
the medium.
Aruna Narlikar, Times of India
***********************
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