Paritosh Sen

Purchased by the industrialist Joseph Malpelli in Paris in the 1950s and thence by descent

In good overall condition, minor areas of restoration with small patches visible to the reverse.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This painting is from a rare group of early works produced during the artist's time in Paris.

Paritosh founded the Calcutta Group along with Prodosh Dasgupta, Gopal Ghosh and Nirode Mazumdar in 1943 during the years of the Great Bengal Famine, a few years before Independence. The Calcutta Group were not concerned with finding a nationalistic identity but strived for a global language and turned to the International art scene for inspiration.

Paritosh's first encounter with modern European art was during the Second World War when Calcutta became the headquarters of the Allied Forces. Prints and Art publications were imported into Calcutta at the request of the Army Officers, from these Paritosh and the Calcutta Group discovered the works of Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh and Gaugin amongst others. In 1949 Sen went to Paris where he was exposed to Cubist and Expressionist art. This work painted in 1952 was the year before the artist met Pablo Picasso in his studio. Picasso was so impressed by the works Paritosh showed him that he offered to find him a gallery to exhibit from. Whilst visiting his studio, Paritosh came upon a cubist portrait of Francoise Gillot and group of still lifes, Paritosh greatly admired Picasso's 'power of formal reconstruction' and his ability to use a limited palette of three colours.

Paritosh returned to India in 1954 and although initially depressed by the poverty that he saw around him he was determined to represent the everyday man and highlight 'the selfishness and greed of the middle class' by satirising and caricaturing them. Paritosh's use of irony and humour in his work was an approach that was to continue throughout his career.

A retrospective of Paritosh Sen was held at the Birla Academy of Art and Culture in February 2001 where a group of works from this early period were shown in India for the first time.