Devajyoti Ray, whose exhibition of paintings titled “Pseudorealist Renderings” is on at Sridharani Art Gallery here, prides himself on being a self-taught artist.
“Like all children I too was fond of art but was hesitant to become a professional artist because of the struggle involved,” says Mr. Ray , a Calcutta University graduate, adding that his actual tryst with painting began in 1993.
“I began to dabble in oil paintings and water colours. My first group show took place in 1993 while the first solo show occurred in 1995 at Salt Lake Art Gallery in Kolkata. Then in 2003 I decided to test a new style of art called pseudo-realism which is approaching reality through abstraction by means of abstract colours and shades and creating something not real but something as comprehensible as if it were real,” he explains.
Mr. Ray developed the style further as appreciation poured in for his art featuring mixtures of offbeat colours, simple geometric shapes and often meaningless renderings that together brought out a comprehensible reality.
Thirty-five-year-old Ray gives credit to veteran Kolkata artist Bal Raj Panesar for encouraging him as an artist.
“I am now looking forward to my exhibition which will be held at the Museum Art Gallery at Kala Ghoda in Mumbai next year,” says the artist, adding that he was constantly improving and improvising on his style of art.
Mr. Ray, who stays in Bangalore with his family, has 16 group shows and eight solo shows to his credit. He has also participated in art shows at India Habitat Centre and Lalit Kala Academy here.
His collections have also been displayed at Arizona, Riyadh, Dubai, Mumbai and Bangalore. His works currently feature in the collections of the Ramee International Hotels in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh; Max Trade LLC and Lumens in Mumbai; Havana Fine Arts Museum in Cuba; Walsh Academy USA; and also numerous private individuals in the US, UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Singapore and Maldives.
The exhibition is open for viewing up to October 15.
