Couple II
Jogen Chowdhury's artistic narrative is deeply influenced by his experiences of the Partition. From his early years, he encountered the challenges stemming from the aftermath of Partition, including displacement in 1948 from a once-comfortable homeland. Growing up in a Kolkata refugee settlement since childhood, he navigated a challenging upbringing. Grounded in a sensory response to the human condition, Jogen Chowdhury's art embodies a rare empathy in modern Indian art. His representations of human forms and relationships, at times satirical and introspective, emerge from the oscillation between relative and reflecting modes of creative thinking. We talk to him about his experience of making art for many years and how it has impacted his life.
Impact of Art
I think it happens in different ways for different artists — depending on their individual attitude, temperament, social environment and experience. In my case, I have a deep-rooted socio-political experience in my life being a member of a refugee family from East Bengal after the partition of India in 1947. The dark days of early life contributed enormously to my psyche. I used to work around a kerosene hand lamp at night throughout my art college days, with my young brothers and sisters also doing their studies side by side. I had no personal space to work. So, black ink was the preferable medium to work at night in the dim light. In fact we, our family, also lived a very hard life during that time due to financial reasons. We were socially engaged with various activities like cultural and literary programmes throughout the year. As such I was attached to all our friends and people of my locality. I have an inborn interest in observing people — all around me — whom I continuously look at. I get inspired by the people — and most of my artworks are inspired by them and their lives. My subjects, or themes, my styles of work and medium of work are basically inspired by the people around me and their lives and living. Changes happen — when my personal attitude changes with new ideas and creative intuition.
Bodh (Sensation)
As my curator, Soumik Nandy Majumdar, sums it up, "Bodh (Sensation) — a poem written by Jibanananda Das, born forty years before Jogen Chowdhury, is one of the most significant modern Bengali poets from post-Tagore era. Das's poems, as manifest in Bodh — one of the most widely read poems by him — represent nature and human life in a dual existence steeped in lyricism and melancholy. Das has influenced the succeeding generations of artists and writers deeply. Jogen Chowdhury, a great admirer of Jibanananda Das, shares a similar artistic temperament."
Artistic Medium
I use a lot of Ink and lines as a favoured medium though it was not a thoughtful decision to work with ink but it happened since I could not afford to buy costly canvases and oil paintings in the beginning of my life. Initially I used to get newsprints and simple writing inks to do my artworks. However I was gradually fond of doing ink work with finer lines and doing criss cross or cross hatch works on paper with mixed media which I think brings intense finer expressions which I cannot get through other mediums.
Killer of a Pregnant Woman
Disorientation
I have an inborn interest in observing people — all around me — whom I continuously look at. I get inspired by the people — and most of my artworks are inspired by them and their lives. My subjects, or themes, my styles of work and medium of work are basically inspired by the people around me and their lives and living. Changes happen — when my personal attitude changes with new ideas and creative intuition. I think an artist like me being a keen observer of the society, such experience also enriches us as a creative person. While I was working in the President of India’s home (Rashtrapati Bhavana) for 15 years, I did a series of portraits of political people, ministers and bureaucrats. As such, all experiences help and enrich a creative person — and give new ideas to his work. I envisioned sketching politically experienced faces of parliament members who represent the people of India!
Words Paridhi Badgotri
Date 23.11.2023