Jogen Chowdhury

He has been shouldering a prolonged responsibility of the life as an artist. His primary artistic endeavour took shape from the essence of his experience of migration from East to West Bengal and contemporary social, familial and personal life. His passage to Paris during his youth and the occidental world of art enlightened his inner self and exposed some yet-to-be-revealed aspects of his personality. After his return to homeland, along with his search for individuality in his works and his gradual strive to include freshness in Indian art, he underwent a transformation from Jogendranath Chowdhury to ‘Jo’. With the passage of time, an inclusion of diversity and change may be observed in his works. From the dream world, subconscious and personal emotions during his stay in Madras to his keen observation towards the bureaucratic world while working as the curator in the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi, his art presented a different form. As he shifted to Santiniketan as a professor in the Kala Bhavana his works received a newer touch. Now he developed an intense association with the ambience, nature and culture of Santiniketan. His paintings come to life with his humour and satire, carnal human sexuality and at the same time, delicate and undying rhythm of nature as well. Today crosshatch is synonymous to Jogen Choudhury. He is one of the prime guiding forces behind Debovasha. His newly painted 101 works, done during the Corona Period which were exhibited in Debovasha will always remain in the urban mind of the city of Kolkata. Simultaneously, a yearlong (from February’23 to February’24) celebration to commemorate his 85th birth anniversary, twelve separate exhibitions have been organised each month along with the publication of the facsimile edition of his twelve sketchbooks. It may be marked as a cultural event of great significance in the history of Indian paintings. An interview based on the book of Jogen Choudhury named ‘Interview’, which is coequal to his autobiography has been published from Debovasha.