Mother & daughter with parrot Painting

Gautam Mukherjee’s paintings lead the viewer back to another era in the artist’s homeland, Bengal. Bringing out the cultural ethos of the region in his works, Gautam paints a world he has observed at close quarters, having been born and raised in his ancestral home in Kolkata. A keen observer of life around him, the artist’s paintings are reminiscent of colonial Bengal in its use of architectural elements such as doors, windows and stairways and periodic furniture like ornate tables, mirrors and four poster beds. Placed in these charming settings are men and women who appear in different situations like a couple immersed deep in a conversation or a group of ladies playing Sindoor khela, a ritual popular during the Durga Puja celebrations. What instantly holds the spectator’s attention in Gautam’s paintings is the luminescent colour palette of warm hues and the eloquent gestures and fish shaped eyes of the protagonists. Gautam attributes the characteristic eyes to those of goddess Durga and other idols which fascinated him during the annual puja festivities. Apart from the distinctive eyes, the limbs of all the characters have a lustrous quality which again recall puja idols. The artist evinces an interest in sartorial fashions which are painted in meticulous detail. Gautam’s paintings bespeak joy, contentment and sanctity of relationships unfolded in simple narratives.