“The dark side of humanity and cruelty is what leads me in my search of the unknown.”
Suhas Roy’s preoccupation is primarily with the female face and form, and his subjects are romanticised, inhabiting the dreamlike world between sensuality and innocence. His work is usually inspired by life around him, but his themes are as much influenced by the everyday world as they are rooted in fantasy. The vast and complex texture of life is seen as mystical and dark in his work. The mystical flavour of his works arose from his interpretations of the ‘unknown’.
It is his craftsmanship and consummate skill that ensure that his richly romantic subjects do not touch extreme syrupy and stereotypical portrayals. Instead, their very patent beauty veers towards melancholic grace and elegance. This graceful portrayal of his subjects has much to do with his choice of materials – his crayons, charcoal and brush have sensitivity and refinement.
Suhas Roy studied at the Indian College of Arts and Draftsmanship, Calcutta, and under the tutelage of Prof. S.W. Hayter at the Atelier 17 Ecole Superior Des Beaux Arts, Paris. His works have been exhibited all over the world through exhibitions like the Asian Graphic Prints Traveling Exhibition, USA, the Tokyo Print Biennale, Japan, Contemporary Indian Art, Yugoslavia, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungry, and Wounds, at the Central Institute Modern Art, New Delhi, and the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. Roy lives and works in Santiniketan where he is the head of the Department of Painting at Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan.