Jugal Sarkar

Jugal Sarkar is a self-taught portrait artist from Balurghat, in the northern part of West Bengal, now based in Kolkata. Though he holds a philosophy honours degree from Rabindra Bharati University, his true calling emerged from childhood memories of watching his uncle draw, and he moved to Kolkata to pursue painting full-time, initially supporting himself by teaching drawing before launching his professional career in 2018.

Sarkar works fluidly across acrylic, watercolor, oil, graphite, and charcoal, and is best known for portraits that capture the complex emotion and character behind a human face, rendered in a bold color palette and dynamic style. His subjects range from spiritual and mythological figures, such as Devi and Lord Krishna, to commissioned likenesses for private clients worldwide, including admirers among Indian film personalities like Pankaj Tripathi and Vicky Kaushal. He painted roughly 500 portraits in 2021 alone and continues to teach through regular drawing classes and workshops, while his originals are held by collectors across the globe.