Humanity College is presenting for the first time some artwork artists contribute exclusively for our media. Art, literature, music and culture are subjects that can make people think differently. They help us to see through the clutter of confusion created by the 1 percent.
Our first artist is Susanta Chakraborty from Kolkata.
Susanta grew up in a humble background in Howrah, the “New Jersey-city” across the river Ganges from the big “New York-city” Kolkata. Parallel cities, parallel people, parallel struggles, and parallel dreams. I am sure there are many such parallels across the world: Los Angeles and Oakland would be another example.
In 1983, Susanta graduated from Indian College of Arts and Draftmanship in Kolkata, and slowly made his name through the world of fine arts in a city that has always been well known for its galaxy of artists, poets, filmmakers and authors. We have talked about Kolkata here in Humanity College: the newest Nobel Prize winner from the city is now-MIT economist Abhijit Banerjee. A progressive history of the city has seen many aspiring artists and intellectuals succeeding, and many others failing in the pursuit of their dreams.
Fortunately for us, Susanta, in spite having risen out of nowhere, did not fail. Extremely modest he is, his superior art made him familiar in the world of connoisseurs — in Kolkata and Bengal, in India, and even in the U.S. Tamarind Art Gallery had shown Susanta Chakraborty’s paintings at several of its reputable exhibitions.
Today, we present four of his new paintings, which he contributed generously to Humanity College. Here in these works, Susanta Chakraborty tells the story of isolation, pain, and fear of the hapless ordinary people, and also talks about the ruthless, violent forces in power.
We welcome Susanta to our media world, with a vote of thanks.
