Eminent artist and gallery owner Shyamal Sen, best known for his transparent water colour works, died today after a heart attack, family sources said.
He was 81 and is survived by his son and daughter.
Having acquired a name for himself by painting using only transparent water colours, Sen also used to run 'Gallery 79' in Ballygunge.
He belonged to the first batch of diploma holders from the Government College of Art and Craft here and started his career as an advertising artist.
A staunch believer in the old school of water colour painting, he used rich, vibrant colours interlaced with muted tones, to achieve dramatic visual effects.
Following the traditional style of water colour painting where one cannot use colours like white and black, he referred to paint his landscapes with human figures.
Besides displaying in his own gallery, his works have been exhibited in the Birla Academy of Art & Culture and the Academy of Fine Arts in the city.
