The King and his Throne

Since the 1960's Bikash Bhattacharjee has made the lives of the common people of Calcutta - street boys, beggars, performers and whores - the central subjects of his paintings. The present work belongs to a series of paintings based on the life of the beggar king. Although the title suggests that the painting was inspired by a myth or fairytale, Bhattacharjee says that all his works 'rise out of reality' and aim to make social statements in a direct manner. He states 'I see myself as a sort of painter journalist, using paint and canvas as a photo-journalist might use his camera. What I have to say is right there on the canvas.' (Indian Painting Today, Jehangir Art Gallery, Bombay, 1981, p. 17.)