Atin Basak says that his recent body of work represents the beliefs and ways of life in the East or the Orient. The recluses and sages that he creates in his etchings and lithographs on paper have a certain quality that places them above and beyond the �madding crowd� of humanity. Although they are alone, they seem to be perceptive, judicious and erudite people who have seen and experienced the world as it is, and then made the choice to live apart from it. In works with titles like �Hermit� and �Solitude�, the artist�s flawlessly controlled use of shade and texture helps to build the characters of these subjects, adeptly depicting their self-confidence and personal power. Basak places Sanskrit letters in these works to similarly portray a sense of age-old tradition, understanding and wisdom in a world that seems to have forgotten the value of everything that is not modern. Born in Kolkata in 1966, Atin Basak studied painting in this city and later received his MA in printmaking from a Baroda art college. All through his career he has received several awards, prominent among them the 1999