Profile - Alay Ghoshal
I was born in 1956, Kolkata, India. I started drawing from an early age of 5. I filled the walls of my house with drawings in chalk. I always had the urge to paint and draw. Despite dismal conditions, I got myself admitted to the Government college of Art and Craft, Kolkata. There I studied for five years under famous artists. I graduated in 1983 from this prestigious Government college of Art and Craft with a rank of First class First in Fine Arts. I worked as "Visualizer" for Advertisement Company Response. Then in 1988 I joined the second highest circulated Bengali newspaper Bartaman as Art director. I am still working there. I have worked with many reputed publishing houses as book illustrator. I have done solo exhibitions of my paintings in 1993, 94, 95. I like to work in two main ways. First, I like to express the sadder, pathetic, grimmer aspects of life, human fears, ups and downs and the futility of human life. I am a figurative abstract expressionist in these kinds of paintings. On the flipside, I am also inspired to draw by the fleeting moments of Nature, rural landscapes. Tempera and transparent water colour are the main medium of my paintings. I also like to experiment with other mediums and unconventional materials and techniques.