Biren De

Biren De

Biren De was one of the few artists who used abstract art as a mode of reflection. Tantric elements are visible in his paintings.

Biren De was born in Faridpur in Bangladesh. He studied Art at the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Kolkata and graduated in 1949. He was appointed as a lecturer, at the College of Art, New Delhi. His talents earned him a Fulbright Grant thereby spending some part of his life living and working in New York. He has exhibited his paintings all over the world. The elements of tantra elements in his paintings give them a mysterious frame. Biren De can be considered as a revolutionary painter.

All his paintings have deep blue which is the color of tantra and mystery. His paintings have sheer painting qualities and delightful forms. The colours are applied in such a way that the painting becomes transparent and bright capturing the viewer's eye and take their minds to the highest level of meditation. This aspect of his works makes it remarkable. His paintings unfold their meanings slowly and effectively leaving a permanent impression on the viewer's minds. He employs the most universal shapes and figures in his paintings to explore the cosmos.

His paintings are abounding in symbolism. Energy and luminosity is what makes the symbols come alive. The divine spirit is the fundamental idea behind his works. Biren De was the only artist in the late 50s experimenting with Tantric art. The spiritual quality of paintings has mad him as revered as a spiritual guru by some of his admirers. His work has initiated a new mode of creative expression where the sacred and the spiritual combine with shapes and symbols. His abstract paintings appeals to the mind rather than the objective visual images. He believes that the artist must feel raw earth and cosmic beauty. One can find in his art growth and fulfillment on one side and degeneration on the other.

From 1952-64 he served as a Lecturer in the College of Art and Delhi Polytechnic, New Delhi. He was a visiting Faculty Member in 1968 in the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi.

Awards received by Biren De:
# 1958, 64 National Award for painting, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.
# 1959-60 Received Fulbright Scholarship, USA.
Biren's art moves through him towards a more universal expression which is elegiac and heroic.

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