Jogen Chowdhury (b.1939)

Christie’s New York, 20 September 2006, lot 111

There are two pin-hole sized areas on the politician's cap where the paint is lifting.This work is mounted and framed behind glass. In good condition, as viewed.
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Jogen Chowdhury is known and celebrated for his figurative ink drawings, which were often satirical parodies of Bengali middle class society. Employing certain visual techniques such as dark backgrounds and contorted facial features, Chowdhury’s work echoes the darkness and corruption that was present in the elite upper classes of society. This work, employing Chowdhury’s characteristic cross-hatching technique, seems to depict a political leader enticed by the woman’s obvious beauty. Chowdhury grew up during a time of great political volatility. His family moved to Calcutta in 1947, shortly after the communal riots, and these intense periods of turmoil had a lasting impact on his work. He studied at the Calcutta School of Art and then later moved to New Delhi.