Emerging Kolkata artist Santanu Debnath captures the vivid hues and activities around the waterside through his art

Santanu Debnath finds calm in the waters- still, rippled, patterned- he observes them all. His canvases that speak volumes are currently on display at Emami Art which is hosting his ongoing solo, Morphology of Water: A Project by Santanu Debnath.

Here's why Santanu Debnath's solo art exhibition should be a must-visit

What immediately strikes a viewer is the abundance of green, a colour which is rapidly decreasing in the concrete jungle. The artworks are of various sizes and shapes and depict the different moods of the water bodies. And not just the water, the flora, fauna, rural scape, activities around it which gives the onlooker a fair idea of the simple life, away from the urban rush. 

What is particularly eye-catching is a depiction of a landscape, a sunset, where each frame tells its own story and yet effortlessly joins together to form a horizontal canvas that deserves applause. When asked about it, he comments, “Whenever I feel anxious, I go to the riverbank near Sonapuri. One river forms  many stories at different times of the day. I have tried to capture that story through my works. From fishing nets to bamboo poles, all talk about a human presence around the river. These depict the social class of the place. I have put together the painting in my studio in Betpukur, but of course I have experienced each of these scenes upfront during different times of the day.”

His works go beyond canvas and paper. He even uses wood from trees to showcase his creativity. “This came very spontaneously. I was just walking beside a dead tree and took the bark of that tree home. I cut them to size, treated them with a coating and painted on them.”

Debnath not only portrays the stillness of life but also defines the temporary and the daily through his minute observations, hyper-realistic paintings and an innocence in the work that speaks to the viewers, making them stop and contemplate on the subtle happiness. 

The Morphology of Water is on at Emami Art till October 18, 2025