JOGEN CHOWDHURY | Untitled (Woman reclining)

Acquired from Indian Contemporary, Hong Kong, circa 2013

There is minor creasing along the top margin. Stray graphite marks are inherent to the medium. This work is in overall good condition as viewed. It has not been inspected outside its frame.The colors are brighter in reality especially the yellows.
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Jogen Chowdhury is known for his unique depictions of sinuous, almost grotesque bodies. These figures emerge from the gloom of dark, dense backgrounds and are characterized by their vacant expressions and distorted limbs.
Having grown up in Faridpur, in former East Bengal, Chowdhury moved to Calcutta with his family during Partition. Unlike many of those who were similarly displaced in 1947, Chowdhury’s experience of the refugee condition was not one wrought with violent religious conflict. The artist speaks freely about the harmonious Hindu-Muslim relations he experienced during his childhood, and later during the migration itself: ‘Neither in our village nor in our area was there any violence, any incident over Partition. […] Since the residents of our village were Brahmin, almost everybody wanted to come away to West Bengal and eventually did so almost empty-handed.’ (J. Chowdhury, Jogen Chowdhury: His Life and Times, CIMA, Kolkata, 2005, p. 21-24). After enrolling at the Government College of Art & Craft in 1955, Chowdhury found himself plunged into a metropolitan culture, a significant contrast to the village life of his early years. Chowdhury’s exposure to the Bengali political landscape was extremely formative. While the artist became part of the politically-charged student community, he also bore witness to the scandal and corruption of the ruling elite. The experience provided him with his earlier subjects, and most importantly with the sense of revulsion that gave birth to his unique aesthetic. The contorted characters of Chowdhury’s oeuvre were born from these experiences. The artist Gopal Ghose was a much admired teacher at the College, and it is from him that Chowdhury learned his use of pastel. This work exemplifies Chowdhury’s mastery of line and his idiosyncratic and innovative use of cross-hatching to suggest texture and depth. This flaccid, immovable body takes on a still life quality with its careful attention to detail, such as the striped, yellow sari: ‘Patterning is an important aspect of the paintings: saris table covers, bed covers – all bear elaborate designs. The artist’s enthusiasm for textiles was most likely fostered at the Weavers’ Service Centre in Madras, where he worked in 1968.’ (A. Jhaveri, ‘Jogen Chowdhury,’ A Guide to 101 Modern & Contemporary Indian Artists, India Book House, Mumbai, 2005, p. 26)