There is one common thing about artists from West Bengal — they paint their city and Goddess Durga with an immense sense of fondness and nostalgia. Purnendu Mandal is the latest entrant to this school of art.
His work on his home town, though he lives in Chhattisgarh, defines nostalgia at its best. It catches a rainy day, the city after rain, the scorching heat, the sleepy locales, and its mornings and nights in colours as they appear.
The works also reflects the Calcutta-turned-Kolkata in subtle ways. The 34-year-old has brought Kolkata to the Capital with his paintings. His show, titled “Aesthetic Memories”, at the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS) here begins on Tuesday.
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Says Purnendu: “I studied at the Government College of Art in Kolkata and have lived there all my life. The city does not leave me, no matter where I am. Sitting in Chhattisgarh, I do try to paint Mumbai and Delhi, but I keep ending up in Kolkata.”
Purnendu has painted several series on the ‘City of Joy’ and earned a name as the unofficial ambassador of the city through his 15 solo and seven national/international exhibitions on the same.
The show ends on March 23.
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