Untitled Painting

Rajesh Barman, an artist with origins in the rural landscape of North Bengal, draws much of his inspiration from the environment where he grew up and received his early education. Having moved to Kolkata for higher studies, his art has evolved to reflect the complex relationship between his rural beginnings and the urban life he now navigates. This transition has shaped his artistic inquiry, leading him to explore concepts that bridge the gap between these two worlds. In his search for a visual language that unites his past and present, Barman discovered a connection in tin sheets and corrugated metal surfaces. "These sheets," he says, "can be found everywhere, whether in rural villages or in the heart of Kolkata." Used as roofing or walls in village homes, these ubiquitous materials also permeate the urban environment, serving as a symbolic link between the two. Barman is particularly fascinated by the reflective, shiny surfaces of these materials. He explains, "I am drawn to the high reflectance and illumination of these objects because they bring a certain drama to my work—a drama of shallow space and restricted exaltation." His paintings capture this dramatic interplay of light and shadow, creating a visual metaphor for the emotional and psychological journey of a rural soul grappling with the complexities of urban existence. The reflective surfaces seem to mirror this internal struggle, representing the bewilderment and astonishment he feels in his new surroundings. Focusing on close-up views of metallic corrugated sheets, Barman emphasizes his desire to remain faithful to the retinal reality of the objects. Yet, he observes that in the act of painting, the play of light, shade, and reflections on these surfaces transforms them into something unfamiliar. "Interestingly, the glittering parts of the metal surface, combined with light and shadow, create forms and shapes that appear alien to us, simply because we don’t usually observe these objects so closely," he notes. This shift in perspective allows him to extract an unknown image from a commonly known and familiar object, challenging the viewer to see the world in a new light. Barman’s work occupies an intriguing space between naturalism and abstraction. While his paintings are based on real-world materials, the close-up composition and focus on texture and light often blur the line between representational and abstract art.