Untitled

Sexuality had an important role in Bikash Bhattacharjee’s paintings, though it was not always addressed to the male gaze, according to his biographer Manasij Majumdar. Often, the sexual allure acquired overtones of pathos, or of repressed or denied sexuality, as is the case with this Untitled work. The woman with a partially bare back turned towards the viewer, and half-lighted face with pouty lips, has all the elements to lure even the most straightjacketed of men. Her dark clothing and hair merge with the background, accentuating her sensuous, shiny skin.