Somnath Patra

Born in Kolkata in 1972, Som studied art in SEOMP, a training institute funded and administered by La Martiniere. He learnt painting from Bangiya Sangeet Parishad and did specialization in portrait drawing from Ankan Sanskriti Kendra. Later he studied Interior and Pavilion Design from SEOMP. As a Senior Manager, Production and Quality control in Gorsia Architecture & Design for the last twenty years, he takes time out of his busy life to work on his love and passion.

Som draws inspiration from everyday city life, the female form and spirituality. His work is a powerful combination of realism and fantasy, where reality sets the ball rolling and fantasy helps the canvas assume a new reality.

At his best Som achieves an enigmatic quality in his paintings that works on many levels from the visual to the subconscious. Female beauty is a major preoccupation of Som. But he also creates a varied cast of characters and subjects in his canvases like old men, children, still life and animals.

Som’s three prime qualities that he aims to incorporate into his work are simplicity, subtlety and innocence. His work is figurative to a great extent and aims at depicting communication between man and nature. Not surprisingly, therefore, one finds a human figure and a natural element blending together in subtle colours to beautiful effect. He likes to experiment but his preferred mediums are oil, water and acrylic on canvas.

Som works and lives in Kolkata.

Exhibitions

Ankan Sanskriti Kendra - 1993

District Exhibition in Burdwan - 1995

Gaganendra Pradarshanshala - 2013

Award

Ankan Bivakar from Bangiya Sangeet Parishad in 1990

Taught at

Srishti - Ankan Research Academy

Shilpayan (Affiliated to Rabindra Bharati University)