Lalu Prasad Shaw was influenced by the pre-Independence Company School of Art, the traditional Kalighat Pat as well as the Ajanta cave paintings. This is evident in his highly stylized portraits of Bengali women, men and couples which he paints in tempera or gouache. His works are simple and graceful with a very still, well composed and smooth exterior. The subjects of the paintings are inspired by nature and the simple Bengali middle class life. His painting style is such that he delves deeply into the subject’s physical presence, studies their physical characteristics and mannerisms and then in his paintings, captures their expressions perfectly with the greatest economy of line and colour.