Dhiraj Choudhury 1st April 1936 – 1st June 2018.

Dhiraj Choudhury was born on 1936 at then Bengal, now Bangladesh. He was a student of Government College, Darjeeling and the Principal Dr. K. D.Ghosh encouraged him to follow up his dreams to become an artist. Later he was admitted to College of Arts and Crafts, Calcutta and Delhi Polytechnic (Delhi College of Art). He has taught from 1962 to 1996 in Women Polytechnic and Department of Painting, Delhi College of Art, University of Delhi. He has ameliorated Calcutta Painters Society by being a member, of Artists Forum, Society of Contemporary Artists, AIFACS, New Delhi. Dhiraj Choudhury has founded ‘Quartet Artist’ and ‘Line’, a group devoted to drawing.

Dhiraj Choudhury has more than hundred exhibitions, among few great are international, which is sufficient enough to understand his caliber and popularity as a painter. UK, USA, France, Germany, Switzerland, Singapore are the countries where his foreign shows were arranged by his appreciators. In 1979 an exhibition in Geneva with Miro and Dali added a very special feather to his cap. Dhiraj Choudhury, the Artist steadfastly believes that art has to be closely associated with life – with humanity, with humanism. And he comes through with this concept in his works – which are sometimes heart – reading, sometimes violent, brutal even chaotic, but always cogent, modern, and somehow loaded with both wisdom and hope. His figurative abstract works are one of the most precious collection of India’s contemporary art collectives.

And ever since he has perused an independent art career, perfecting his peculiar style that has won him many a acclaim and awards at National and State level. In 1991 he earned a gold medal in the 7th International triennale India.  He has held many a solo shows in Delhi and Mumbai. He has been an active participant in regional state and national and International art activities that have exposed his art to an ever-wider audience.A large part of his time is now taken up by his ‘Creativity and Concern for Humanity’ project. “I am trying to bring together people from diverse backgrounds and expose them to art. I believe you can depict love through art and motivate people,” he says, adding that he did an entire series on love in the early 2000s. Choudhury sees similarities between the Bengal and Madras schools of art. “Drawing is the binding factor for both, though that is changing as younger artists experiment with installation and video art,” he says. Drawing is the basis of his art, whether he is working with water colours or oil, on canvas or paper, in sculpture, ceramic or wood. His latest series is in wood, in what he calls ‘burnt relief painted’ media. “It was done with a chisel, not just a brush. I worked on the wood, charred it, then painted over it. I wanted to experiment and challenge myself. It looks different,” he says.

Today morning he has said goodbye to all of us for his ultimate journey.

Dhiraj Choudhury 1^st April 1936 – 1^st June 2018.