Jogen Chowdhury

Jogen Chowdhury is known for his ability to successfully combine traditional imagery with the zeitgeist of contemporary painting, in a deft combination of urban self-consciousness and highly localized Bengali influence. His early works show an attention to figuration that is transferred to his current pieces. In an interview, Chowdhury commented that, in his early work, the space projected a simple iconic presence. A spatial sequence was developed but the space was not complex. The background seemed to disappear. Anshuman Dasgupta describes these works as more iconic and more dramatized, in contrast, Chowdhury describes his later works as now more personalized and subtle.

During his university days, Chowdhury participated in leftist literary circles, whose members dismissed Rabindranath Tagore as a bourgeois and took an interest in the works of Russian authors. But overall, Chowdhury stayed away from cultural movements through a friend of members of the Hunger Generation; The images of him were based more on his cultural environment than on his intellectual environment.

My background is relevant, he once commented in an interview, explaining that his life in Calcutta was quite disturbed by political movements. This has a clear influence on my work such as the Ganesha period. The Bengali business class who worship the icon and their corruption, how degenerate like meat. Famine, partition, and the food movement overshadowed his formative years, and a quality of darkness can be seen as inherent in Chowdhury's work. However, in addition to being an indicator of sadness, this darkness can be understood to evoke an aura of mystery. It is an effect heightened in Chowdhury's more recent works, which increasingly crop out the central image. Chowdhury explains that the purpose is to hide some parts. The moment he shows the full figure, he loses interest in the details. Previously, the figures were observed in their natural bearing that came through expressionist stylization and the weight of reality was greater. There is a distancing effect today.

Talking about contemporary art, Chowdhury argues for the need for a uniquely Indian approach to art, as opposed to blind imitation of Western trends. To be global it is not necessary to do something that imitates the United States, Australia, or England. It has to have authenticity, which is not what blind imitation allows.

Born in 1939 in Faridpur, Bengal, Chowdhury studied at the Government School of Arts and Crafts, Calcutta, from 1955 to 1960, followed by a stint at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beax-Arts, Paris, from 1965 to 1957, on a scholarship. of the French government. His recent solo exhibitions include A Calligraphy of Touch and Gaze, presented by Kalakriti Art Gallery at ICIA, Mumbai, in 2008, and Abahoman Flowing Life at Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi, in 2007. Chowdhury has also had solo exhibitions at the Gajah Gallery. Singapore Gallerie Foundation for Indian Artists, Amsterdam, and Fine Art Resource, Berlin.

In 1966, Chowdhury received the Prix le France de la Jeune Peinture in Paris and, in 1986, he received a prize at the Second Biennial of Havana, Cuba. The Government of Madhya Pradesh awarded him the Kalidas Sanman in 2001.

The artist lives and works in Santiniketan.

BORN

February 15, 1939, Faridpur District, Bangladesh

EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS

1965-67 National School, Superieure des Beaux Arts, Paris

1960 Studio of the Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta.

1955-60 Government College of Arts and Crafts, Calcutta

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2014 Jogen Chowdhury Formative to Recent, Center for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata

2012-13 Meditation Lines, Veda Gallery, Chennai

2008 A calligraphy of touch and look, presented by Kalakriti Art Gallery at ICIA, Mumbai

2007 Abahoman Flowing Life, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi

2006 Center for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata

2002 Drawings and paintings with ink and pastel on paper, Bose-Pacia Modern, New York

2001 Ink and pastel colored drawings, Gajah Gallery, Singapore

1999 Drawings and paintings with ink and pastel on paper, Fine Art Resource, Berlin

1998 Drawings colored with ink and pastel, Gallerie, Mohnjeet, Paris

1998 Colored drawings with pastel paper, Indian Artists Foundation, Amsterdam

1997 Pastel drawings on paper, Gallerie Foundation for Indian Artists, Art Fair, Amsterdam

1996 Drawings, Indian Artists Gallery Foundation, Amsterdam. 

1996 Drawings and paintings, Glenbarra Art Museum, Japan

1996 Drawings and paintings, Center for International Modern Art (CIMA), Calcutta

1994-95 Drawings, Sakshi Gallery, Calcutta. 

1994 Drawings, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi. 

1994 One Hundred Drawings, Seagull Art Foundation, Sukh Sagar, Calcutta

1994 Brush and ink drawings on poems by Namita Chowdhury, Little Gallery, Calcutta

1992 Ink and pastel drawings on paper, Nandan, Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan. 

1990 Drawings, Sarala Art Centre, Chennai. 

1988 Ink and pastel works on paper, Sistas Art Gallery organized by Kala Yatra, Bangalore

1983 Watercolor Paintings, Contemporary Art Gallery, Ahmedabad. 

1982 Watercolor Paintings, Bithi Art Centre, Baroda

1981 Ink and pastel works on paper, Dhoomimal Art Gallery, New Delhi. 

1977 Ink and pastel works on paper, Chanakya Art Gallery, New Delhi. 

1976 Ink and pastel works on paper, Indian Embassy, Paris. 

1972 Ink and mixed media works on paper, All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi

1970, 90 Ink and mixed media works on paper, Sarla Art Centre, Chennai

1968 Drawings and paintings, Alliance Francaise of Madras, Chennai

1967 Oil paintings, Galerie du Haut Pave, Paris. 

1965 Bengali Sanskrit Sammelan, Calcutta

1963 Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2015 Remembering Bhupen, Sarjan Art Gallery, Vadodara

2013 Ideas of the Sublime, presented by Vadehra Art Gallery at Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi

2013 Still Life, Gallery Art Motif, New Delhi

2012 Diva, Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai

2012 Talking Heads, Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi

Gallery Collection 2012, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi

2011 Adbhutam Rasa in Indian Art, Center for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata

2011 Masters Ltd Limited Editions, Gallery Beyond, Mumbai

2011 The Aviary, Ganges Art Gallery, Kolkata

2011 Of humor, wit and satire, Gallery Threshold, New Delhi

2010-11 Figure Landscape, Part Two, Aicon Gallery, London

2010 Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai

2010 Love to Live, Palette Art Gallery, New Delhi

2010 Dalis Elephant, Aicon Gallery, London

2010 Paper Trails, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi

2010 The Living Insignia, Ensign Gallery, New Delhi

2010-11 Image Writing, The Harrington Street Arts Centre, Kolkata Work Exp, New Delhi

2010 From miniature to modern traditions in transition, Rob Dean Art, London in association with Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai

2010 Summer Show 2010, Center for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata

2010 Aviskar Easts Meets West, Birla Academy of Arts and Culture, Kolkata

2010 Painters' Perception of Images and Symbols, Aakriti Art Gallery, Kolkata

2010 Symbols and Metaphors, Center for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata

2010 registered, Emami Chisel, Kolkata

2010 Essential, eclectic, ephemeral, The Harrington Mansions, Kolkata

2010 Pretty Ugly, Bose Pacia, Calcutta

2009.10 Master Class, The Arts Trust, Mumbai

2009 Mark of Masters -2, Art and Soul, Mumbai

2009 Continuous Modern, Galerie 88, Calcutta

2009 Think Small, Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi

2009 Progressive to Altermodern 62 Years of Indian Modern Art, Grosvenor Gallery, London

2009 Kalpana Figurative Art in India, presented by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) at Aicon Gallery, London The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) 

2009 The Root of Everything, Mementos Gallery, Bangalore

2009 Zip Files, Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai

Review of 2008, Center for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata

2008 Modern and Contemporary Indian Art, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi

2008 Freedom 2008 - Sixty years after India's independence, Center for International Modern Art (CIMA), Calcutta

2007 Body Mind Soul, organized by Gallery Threshold at Visual Art Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. 

2007 Invest Invent Traditions, Grosvenor Vadehra, London

2006 Shadow Lines, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi

2006 Drawing Exhibition: An Act of Art II, Priyasri Art Gallery, Mumbai

2004 Realms of Fantasy, New Delhi and Hong Kong Center for Visual Arts, Hong Kong

2002 A Celebration of Colours, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi

2002 Sidewinders, Indo-British Artists Exhibition, British Council and Center for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata

2001 Art of Bengal: Past and Present, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai and Center for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata

2001 Prabhav, Indian Embassy, Berlin

2000 Satabdi, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi and Center for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata

1999 Watermark, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai

1997 Singapore Art Museum, National Gallery of Modern Art Singapore (NGMA), New Delhi and Center for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata

1997 Date with Destiny: Art of Modern India (1947-1997)

1996 Chamatkara, organized by the Center for International Modern Art (CIMA), Calcutta, at Whitley Art Gallery, London

1995 Autumn Exhibition of Contemporary Indian Art, All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi

1995 Seven Contemporary Artists, Le Monde del Art, Paris

1994 Contemporary Indian Prints, Maltwood Museum of Art, Victoria, Canada

1982 Contemporary Indian Paintings, Hirshhorn Museum, Washington DC

1980 Seven Indian painters, Worpswed Hann, Hamburg, Braunschweig and Bayreuth. 

1979 Exhibition of Asian Art, Fukuoka, Japan, and Indian Painting, National Art. 

1978 New Contemporaries, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai

1970 Art Today - III, Kunika Chemould Gallery, New Delhi

1967 Exhibition of resident artists of the Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris

PARTICIPATIONS

2014 Ode to Monumental Celebration, Visuality, and Ideology, presented by Saffronart at Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, and Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai

2014 Rituals and reasons that invoke the sensual in art, Apprao Galleries, Chennai

2013-14 Transition, 20th anniversary exhibition, Center for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata

2013 The Nude and the Nude The Body in Modern Indian Art, Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi

2012 Art for Humanity, Coomaraswamy Hall, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai

2011 Ethos V Indian Art through the Lens of History (1900 to 1980), Indigo Blue Art, Singapore

2011 Manifestations VI, Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi

2011 Manifestations V, Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi

2011 Time Unfolded, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), New Delhi

2010 Art Celebrates 2010 Sports and the City, represented by Art Alive Gallery at Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, coinciding with the Commonwealth Games

2010 Masters Corner, organized by Indian Contemporary Art Journal at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai India International Art Fair, New Delhi

2010 Contemporary Printmaking in India, presented by Priyasri Art Gallery, Mumbai at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai Priyasri Art Gallery, Mumbai

2010 National Print Portfolio, Marvel Art Gallery, Ahmedabad

2010 Manifestations IV, Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi

2010 Roots, 25th Anniversary Exhibition of Sakshi Art Gallery, Mumbai at The Park, Chennai

Annual Exhibition 2009, La-Mere, Sri Aurobindo Institute of Culture, Kolkata

2008-09 India Moderna, organized by the Institut Valencia dArt Modern (IVAM) and Casa Asia, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of Valencia, Spain

2008 ArtSingapore 2008, Singapore

1992 Confluence, Indo-French Art Camp, Calcutta

1986 1st International Art Festival, Baghdad

1982 Participates in Workshops of Indian and German artists in Braunschweig, Germany, and Arezzo, Italy. 

1978 XV Sao Paulo Biennial, Brazil

1976 International Exhibition, Cagnes-sur-Mer

1975 Third Indian Triennale, International Arts Exhibition, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi

1971 Second Indian Triennale, International Arts Exhibition, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi

1965 Indian painters in France, Nongent le Retrou

1957 Indian Painters in France, Nongent le Retrou (1965), exhibited until 1980, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi

HONORS AND AWARD

2003 Jury Member, Singapore Biennial Art Exhibition, Singapore

2001 Kalidas Sanman, Government of Madhya Pradesh

1986 Receives Prize at the 2nd Havana Biennial, Cuba

1966 Prix le France de la Jeune Peinture Award, Paris

1965-67 Obtained a scholarship from the French government and studied at the Ecole Nationale Superiore des Beaux-Arts and Atelier 17, Paris. 

1965 -7 French government scholarship to the Ecole Nationale, Superieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris

jogen chowdhury woman with mirror, jogen chowdhuri, jogen chowdhury auction prices, jogen chowdhury painter, jogen chowdhury price, painter jogen chowdhury, jogen chowdhury nationalaward