Dhiraj Choudhury
“Art, I believe, can play an active role in creating social awareness and I would, in my own small way, try to light a candle in the darkness of ignorance and greed.”
Dhiraj Choudhury was born on April 1, 1936 at Brahmanbaria District of Bengal under British India, now in Bangladesh and died on June 1, 2018, in Kolkata. Dhiraj Choudhury was not only an iconic modern Indian painter, but was also an art teacher who loved his profession. He always inspired his students to develop a social conscience in their art.
His paintings exhibit two completely opposite realities of life. Hs early works, influenced by his experiences during India’s freedom struggle, were heart-wrenching black and white canvases speaking to the strife and suffering that surrounded him. In the late 1990’s, with an absolute turn of perspective, Choudhury turned our attention on the theme of Love – something he believes can eradicate the violence and greed we face every day. He eventually started using bright and vibrant colours to convey joy and mystique.
