Illustrator and designer Annesha Das has been fascinated with art and fashion since she was a mere school student, which led her to pursue design in college. She specialised in leather products, lifestyle and accessory design from NIFT Kolkata. The artist’s repertoire of work includes a plethora of quirky fashion illustrations, pleasing to the eye and calming to the senses. Reminiscent of the illustrated fashion covers of the 40s and 50s, Annesha’s careful and precise strokes seem to be a modern take on the bygone era. In this overstimulated and overcrowded era of social media, the minimalist art she produces evokes a deep sense of nostalgia. Talking about what inspires her work, she tells me, ‘As an artist, it’s very important to have an individual aesthetic. I find inspiration in natural subjects and minimalist palettes that attract my attention.’
The process of creation is often overlooked, yet it is just as important. One of the challenges of Annesha’s process is to create a more universal template for an emotion or object, which resonates personally for her as well. She explains, ‘I need to prepare a template that’s easier to understand but still has an element of quirk. Also I have been studying a lot about global artists and their art, so that every time the illustrations strike the right note.’ Her artistry is essentially a composition of subjective impressions of the natural world around her.
Annesha describes her aesthetic as being consistently minimalist, with a neutral palette and abstract lines. For the viewer though, if there’s something she’d like for them to draw from her artworks, it would be her individualist approach towards the subject or illustration. Her life as an artist also hasn’t come without its fair share of obstacles. She recalls one of the most nerve racking moments of her journey — the #24hourswithart Harper’s Bazaar India’s campaign to feature twelve global artists. She found that moment to be rather tough due to the eleven other renowned artists she was sharing the stage with.
The lockdown during this pandemic, despite all its misery has also provided different opportunities to a lot of people. This period has lent Annesha a newer perspective towards her life and work. On a parting note, she elucidates, ‘Exploring my creativity, reaching out to more people with my work and experiencing some opportunities are some of the things I am encountering during COVID19 times. Looking forward to more opportunities and creating and connecting with the audience better in the future.’
Text Unnati Saini
L: Annesha Das