Shyamal Dutta Ray (b.1934)

Good overall condition. Colors slightly oversaturated but fairly accurate to catalogue illustration.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Born in 1935 and educated at the Government College of Art, Calcutta, Shyamal Dutta Ray achieved renown as master watercolorist. Historically this medium, first embraced by the Bengal School artists, had largely been used to depict landscapes but Roy reinvented it, infusing more depth and intensity to the medium and producing brilliant, thematic works that derived inspiration from the joy and suffering of the common man and were imbued with a universal appeal.

Roy was particularly sensitive to human suffering, both physical and emotional. His works carry a lingering sense of melancholy; whether they address the urban decay and stark poverty of Calcutta in the 1970s or lament the passing of the gracious bygone era. The searing yet delicately rendered images in his works - broken walls, peeling plaster, cobweb-filled rooms, empty houses – are his commentary on the transient nature of existence.

The present work is from a poignantly rendered series depicting royal subjects who were now powerless, old potentates stripped of their vigor and vitality and reduced to a passing memory of a long gone era.  The former Prince now bent over in old age amidst the crumbling facade of his palace is a metaphor for the dissolution of hopes, aspirations and dreams that were once strong and alive. Beautifully rendered, the work is heightened with an underlying sense of loss and tragedy.

We would like to gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Haimanti Dutta Ray with this entry.