In the previous post we had seen how Bikash Bhattacharya had singularly brought back Realism as a style of art and thus popularised art in the eyes of common people. this had been Bikash's single most important contribution in the field of art. It is interesting to note that while the time before his coming, the fine artists shunned realism as some kind of lower craft, with the success of Bikash the artists now overwhelmingly started taking up Realsim for commercial success.

But Realism as such is not enough to make good art. Within the realm of realism, there are many styles which are all different from each other and it it this distinctiveness that sets a genius from the rest. There had been a number of imitators of Bikash Bhattacharya yet few could make anything really distinctive.

Among the closest followers of Bikash was his own disciple Sanjay Bhattacharya (painting above). Sanjay drew like Bikash, painted like Bikash, yet from time to time, his subjects changed and never were they similar to those of Bikash Bhattacharya. Sanjay's painting evolved through many stages, the first being a phase when he drew only inanimate objects, mostly doors and windows. Later human figure started appearing among the frames and in later course the doors and windows vanished and human beings became the prime focus.

But Sanjay was probably more successful in painting the inanimate than the animate. his paintings also showed a kind of plastic appearance which made them sometimes quite akin to calendar art. But Sanjay is still the only true follower of the Bikash-tradition.

Suhas Roy (painting on the left) a senior artist of the Society of Contemporary Artists was also practising realistic colour works akin to the more famous Bikash Bhattacharya of the same Society. But Suhas Roy earned comparitively lesser popular apeal and it is in recent times that he has come to the fore with his own style of realistic works. Suhas Roy's works show a kind of dreamy softness, which we can also find in the works of another much younger artist Sudip Roy (painting below) . Sudip Roy also uses the use of light on soft flesh of women to give a softer erotic imagery.

But beyond these minor variations, one cannot possibly bring any more originality or novelty in realistic works. The boredom that realism thus sets in has therefore egged artists of the post Bikash period to try new forms of figurative art. Among these newer artists one name that comes to the fore is that of Shyamal Duttaroy. Shyamal made figurative works not in realsitc mode though three dimensionality remained important. Shyamal's works also showed use of surrealistic ideas and use of water colour whic together gives his works a rare depth and strength (see below).

Like Shyamal Duttaroy, there are other painters today who use the realism in form, or technique or realistic positioning of things but then using their own varied styles to paint. Important among these painters are Paresh Maity, Sunil Das, Devajyoti Ray, Amitava Dhar, Shuvaprasanna.

We have named these painters not because of their ages or their seniority, but rather in random order keeping in view only the fact that all these painter have come up with their own style which are quite unique and novel.