Meet Artist Moitreyee
Oil Painter and Poet, Moitreyee is a realist landscape artist who captures the extraordinary beauty hidden within the mundane. Her vignettes highlight nature found in everyday life, whether arranged in a vase or immersed throughout India’s neighborhoods.
Though she hails from Kolkata, her formative years were spent in a small township called Telco Colony in the city of Jamshedpur. The quiet beauty of this place and the memories she created there often influence her artistic sensibilities. At the same time, the old-world charm of Kolkata is unmistakably present in many of her works.
Moitreyee never had the opportunity to wander through the lush green corridors of an art school where the nuances of perfect proportions, portraiture, and the many facets of color theory are formally taught. Untrained in the conventional sense, she considers herself a self-taught artist for whom learning comes through observation and remains an ongoing, evolving process.
Although Moitreyee holds a Master’s degree in Information Technology from Sikkim Manipal University and once aspired to build a career in computer graphics, she always felt called to the arts. Sketching and painting were innate gifts she nurtured from a very young age, though she became fully aware of her deep connection with them only later in life.
The more Moitreyee developed her art practice, she became inspired to author Call of the Hibiscus, an anthology of 72 poems. Today she feels deeply enriched by the presence of both art forms in her life.
A statement from Moitreyee…
As an artist, I believe in “art for art’s sake,” and therefore my work has never been intended as a carrier of overt or forceful messages. What captivates me most is the inherent beauty of creativity itself, and my art is simply an expression of that beauty. My paintings primarily dwell on the fragile details of life. I observe life through the lens of nature and often use it metaphorically in my work.
One such example is a painting I created a few years ago titled The Yellow Taxi. It speaks of letting go, with the setting sun used to evoke that emotion vividly. These yellow taxis were once the heartbeat of my city, a familiar presence woven into everyday life. Today, they are no longer in operation, and the painting quietly reflects that sense of absence and transition.
The structure of a large tree has always intrigued me, from its massive form to its branches stretching outward toward neighboring trees, as if attempting to forge connections. As humans, we too yearn for genuine connection. This thought formed the basis of my painting titled The Tree.
Art has taught me the value of coexistence and inclusion—human qualities that seem increasingly rare today. To me, art is a space where light and shadow, shapes and shades coexist, creating a plane where the real and the surreal merge seamlessly into one.
Artist Interview – Moitreyee
In this artist interview, Moitreyee takes us behind her studio in India and shares how the little, but beautiful, moments in life are captured in her paintings.
“What was your most challenging piece and why?”
Being true to the subject is always a challenge for an artist, and if I had to choose one work, I would say ‘The Tree’ was more challenging than the rest.
This painting was inspired by a photograph I had taken back in 2016 in Jamshedpur. I first noticed the tree in a park, and what immediately drew my attention was its unique structure. Its haphazard growth—with some branches completely barren, reaching skyward, while others were full of life, struck me as something deeply unusual.
There was an unexplainable feeling I experienced in that moment, something that stayed with me long after. It was this very feeling that compelled me to recreate the tree on canvas. The real challenge, however, was not just to paint its form, but to capture and convey that emotion through my work.
“How do you align with The Art Spread’s mission of transforming lives through art?”
I strongly align with the mission of The Art Spread, as it views art not just as creation but as a means of healing, expression, and connection. Their effort to support artists facing adversity and provide a platform for their stories resonates deeply with my belief in honest, uninhibited artistic expression. I see art in a similar way—as a space where emotions, however complex, can find form and meaning. Being part of such a vision feels like contributing to something that genuinely transforms lives through creativity.
“Who is your favorite iconic artist?”
My favorite iconic artist is Vincent van Gogh. While I may not have the technical expertise to critically appraise his work, what truly draws me to his art is his deeply personal way of expression. His mind seemed to be a riot of emotions, vividly translated onto canvas with remarkable honesty. Nothing in his work feels forced or merely decorative—he had an extraordinary ability to find beauty in the simplest, often overlooked moments of life.
That quiet intensity and sensitivity resonate deeply with how I see and create art. His brushstrokes, his use of color, and his portrayal of the sun, stars, and trees continue to feel unmatched even today.
“What do you want the Art Spread community to take away from your work?”
Yes, making art accessible is important to me. I believe art should not feel distant or exclusive, but something people can quietly connect with in their own way. If my work can reach beyond a limited space and allow more people to experience that sense of observation and emotion, it becomes more meaningful.
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