Shyamal Dutta Ray's body of work demonstrates a major turning point in the history of the Bengal School of Art. Credited with adding depth and intensity to the medium of watercolor, Ray's saturated hues stand out against the Bengal School's tradition of light and diluted colors. His melancholic and pensive works reflect the contradictions of life in Calcutta, illuminating the happiness, sorrow, struggle, strife, poverty and hope of the people of the city. His work also exhibits a sense of the surreal and ironic in their awareness and depiction of a society in transition. The poignant imagery he uses stems from his personal experiences and his surrounding visual world that he tries to reveal in his works.