Bhattacharya was born in Kolkata and had her first solo show in 1981. Her work predominantly deals with the seeking and defining of a woman's identity within her society. The artist's concern is a lot less involved with certain defined roles than with the journey of self discovery that is in some ways more attainable in today's world. Her earlier works dealt with these issues from an idealistic perception that bordered on fantasy.

Formal elements such as the treatment of space in Bhattacharya's works are reminiscent of Miniatures, which interestingly depicted women, among many other subject matters, involved in various activities that were part of their daily life. Bhattacharya's women are involved, not through passive observation but through a sensual, profound involvement that is bold and individualistic. Some of her works depict women within a domestic setting such as a bedroom, perhaps invoking the new woman's unabashed demand for her own space. Other times there is a brazen confidence that has come from an assurance about their physical, mental and emotional state. They are depicted, through Bhattacharya's strong draftsmanship and use of colour, in acts that range from fantastical copulations to a discovery of the self. In this work titled 'Desire', there is a balance between these two extremes. Like most of the women in her paintings, the central character in the painting is not a spectator but a part of her landscape. Her curvaceous body speaks of her fecundity and mimics the burgeoning landscape that stretches along and beyond the horizon. It is almost as if the many layers that define the character of her surroundings compliment her own personality.