Ruins and ancient architecture fascinated him till recently. Now it is human being suspended in space that draw his attention.

Amitabh Sengupta was first struck by the artistic fervour when he was just fifteen and went to view the pieces of art displayed at the Maharaja’s palace in Cooch Behar . Already of an artistic temperament his friendships with art students and budding poets strengthened his leaning towards an artistic career.

A Kolkattan, Amitabh Sengupta was born in the year 1941. He graduated from the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Kolkata in 1963. The years between 1966 and 1969 were spent studying at the Ecole Des Beaux Arts, Paris on a French government scholarship. In 1979 he was the recipient of the AIC UNESCO fellowship that allowed him to complete his Ed. M at the State University of New York, Buffalo . Thereafter he spent eleven years as the Head of Fine Arts in UNIPORT and as an Art Consultant to Federal Universities in Nigeria . Back in India now he resides and works in his native Kolkata.

Unlike most of his contemporaries it is not the human predicament in modern day society that attracts Sengupta though of late he has shown himself more receptive to the problems facing the world. His penchant is for ancient architecture, not necessarily well-known but just old. Amitabh loves to portray portions of old buildings and the play of light and shade on them with loving detail. But that is not to say that he restricts himself to these subjects.

Figures have started making an appearance in his canvases more and more frequently. Men and women caught between two worlds, confused, indecisive and ultimately unhappy are what Sengupta paints in a series of works depicting the perennial war between tradition and change. People seem to be suspended in time, unsure of their destinations and physically and mentally dejected with their lives.

As opposed to the middle-aged the younger generation embrace Western tenets with enthusiasm donning anything with a foreign handle and thus making themselves alien to their roots as shown in ‘Under Observation’. Unable to withstand the onslaught of technology folks are coming more and more under the influence of electronic gadgets like television.

Sengupta has a number of watercolours to his credit too. Using the scroll painting technique that is prevalent in Bengal , Amitabh applies a wash of colour to the canvas to form a base for his painting. Out of this mild background emerge faces and objects that are lacking in minute detail and painted in pastel hues. The entire effect is one of things viewed from a distance and through a slightly hazy atmosphere.