Bikash Bhattacharjee is recognised as India’s leading painter in the western realist and surrealist tradition. He was acclaimed for his ability to juxtapose the real with the unreal, creating thereby in his works a world of haunting and hypnotic imagery. Born in Calcutta in 1940, Bikash lost his father as a child and the consequent struggle for survival left him with a deep sense of insecurity. This gave him an ability to penetrate and portray the inner psychological undercurrents and made his paintings reflect an empathy for the underprivileged, who often feature in his works. He was educated in the Indian School of Art in Calcutta. Bikash had lived in Calcutta all his life. Through his paintings, he depicted the life of the average middle-class Bengali – their aspirations, superstitions, hypocrisy and corruption, and even the violence that is endemic to the city. The artist had complete control over all mediums – oil, acrylic, water-colour, conte and collage.