Born in 1929 as Rabindra Nath Mondal in Howrah, West Bengal, he completed his Bachelors in Commerce at Vidyasagar College, Kolkata University, Kolkata. After which he attended evening classes at the Indian College of Art and Draughtsmanship, Kolkata followed by Art Appreciation Course from Kolkata University in 1959.
Rabin took to art at a very young age and was inspired by revolutionary artists of that time such as Jamini Roy and Rabindranath Tagore. Coming from a poor government official's family, Rabin's childhood experiences had a strong impact on his art. Mondal grew up amid the overcrowded and industrial district of Howrah and witnessed the disparity of the urban poor and the wealthy. This impacted him deeply, as did the Bengal Famine of 1943 & Calcutta communal riots of 1946. The exploration of human struggle and inner turmoil is deeply reflected in his artworks, rendering it grotesque. The figures in his works are derived from a growing disgust towards mankind's moral decay in all spheres of life. He used bold strokes, creating faces that stare at the viewer, looking strange while still looking strong and defiant. During an art festival held at the Vidyasagar College of Art, Mondal got exposed to the works of French modernist artists and the international art world in general. This indeed played an important part in further evolving his artistic genre.
Over the course of his career, he was featured in multiple national and international shows. The legendary artist started his career as an art teacher and became founding member of Calcutta Painters in 1964 and a general council member of Lalit Kala Akademi from 1979 - 1983. Mondal has been awarded for his artistic career and contribution to the world of art through many awards such as the 'Eminent Painter', AIFACS- New Delhi in 1996 and the Abanindranath Puraskar Kolkata in 2001. Now, Rabin is an artist who is frequently at auctions and collected by many esteemed collectors. The artist passed away in 2019.
