Shyamal Dutta Ray

Shyamal Dutta Ray, also spelt as Shyamal Dutt Ray (Bengali: শ্যামল দত্ত রায়) (8 May, 1934 – 19 May, 2005) was a Bengali contemporary painter. His paintings marked a pivotal role in the history of the Bengal School of Art. He is recognised to have brought intensity to the medium of watercolours when the Bengal School of Art used light and watery hues. He was also one of the founding members of the artists' collective Society of Contemporary Artists.

Ray served as a teacher in the Jagadbandhu Institution. He was a recipient of the Gold Medal from the Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata in the year 1958. In 1982 he was honoured with the National Award from the Lalit Kala Akademi. His pieces can be found in the collections of the Glenbarra Art Museum in Japan, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi, National Museum of Modern Art in Baghdad, Chittagong University museum in Bangladesh and the Shilpa Kala Academy as well as Government College of Arts in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Rabindra Bharati University had honoured him with the Rabindra Bharati University Award in the year 1968. In addition, he received the Birla Academy of Art and Culture Award four times, in 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1978, respectively. Aside from that, Dutta Ray has garnered other prestigious honours, such as the 1988 Shiromani Kala Puraskar and the Special Commendation of the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath in Bangalore, Karnataka.

Artistic style
The paradoxes of the world around him are reflected in his reflective and gloomy paintings. Ray's art mostly depicts Calcutta's urban life, with all of its joy and sadness, conflict and hardship, poverty and optimism.

Accolades and participations
Dutta Ray has won numerous awards, including the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath's Special Commendation in 1988 as well as the Shiromani Kala Puraskar which he received in 1988. He was also the recipient of the Lalit Kala Akademi's Merit Award. Indian major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Bangalore have all hosted exhibitions of his paintings. He was also the four times winner of the Birla academy of Art and Culture Award for the years 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1978. He has taken part in international exhibitions such as the Havana Biennale in Cuba and the Third World Biennale of Graphics in London.

Death
Painter Dutta Ray died in 2005 on the 5th day of May.