What Others Say About Raka's Work
The artwork of Raka B. Saha grabs your attention and heart from the moment you encounter it. Both her portraits and landscapes are informed by her unusual personal history, her intellect and humanity. Despite a chimerical colour palette reminiscent of Fauvism, her paintings remain approachable and still ethereal.
Raka, a native of Calcutta, India, pursued an education and career in biochemistry and microbiology. Her parents, a cardiologist and a mathematician, were forward thinking individuals. While recognizing their child’s love and affinity for the visual arts, and encouraging it by taking her to art shows and entering her work in numerous children’s art competitions, they wanted their daughter to be economically independent. So they decided a good education in science would the best means to secure that outcome.
Working as a biochemist for most of her life, Saha painted on weekends until she could finally immerse herself in her first love. She says, “I paint like a scientist. I like to experiment with my paintings. I use colors that I like visually. I do not have to know in a painting what is the right way, what is the wrong way. I will just be brave . . . the surface is mine to explore.”
Saha brings to her compositions the same instincts that determine her colour choices. By following her heart and muse, this self-taught artist continues to readily engage the viewing public by producing artworks that vibrate with emotion while staying true to her vision. This vision is an amalgam of her scientific study, her rich cultural heritage and innate desire to express herself through painting.
- Debbie Oliver, Arts & Opinion, 2007
Raka, a native of Calcutta, India, pursued an education and career in biochemistry and microbiology. Her parents, a cardiologist and a mathematician, were forward thinking individuals. While recognizing their child’s love and affinity for the visual arts, and encouraging it by taking her to art shows and entering her work in numerous children’s art competitions, they wanted their daughter to be economically independent. So they decided a good education in science would the best means to secure that outcome.
Working as a biochemist for most of her life, Saha painted on weekends until she could finally immerse herself in her first love. She says, “I paint like a scientist. I like to experiment with my paintings. I use colors that I like visually. I do not have to know in a painting what is the right way, what is the wrong way. I will just be brave . . . the surface is mine to explore.”
Saha brings to her compositions the same instincts that determine her colour choices. By following her heart and muse, this self-taught artist continues to readily engage the viewing public by producing artworks that vibrate with emotion while staying true to her vision. This vision is an amalgam of her scientific study, her rich cultural heritage and innate desire to express herself through painting.
- Debbie Oliver, Arts & Opinion, 2007
