A Great Artist Falls Silent: Jogen Chowdhury Dies at 87
Jogen Chowdhury, the renowned painter of both Bengals, has died, closing a distinguished chapter in Indian modern art. He breathed his last at 10:15 on Sunday morning in a private hospital in Kolkata. He was 87 years old.
Family and hospital sources said the celebrated artist had been suffering from various physical complications for a long time. He had been battling blood cancer for more than a year.
He was admitted to hospital after developing a fresh urinary tract infection around the time of Durga Puja. As his condition worsened, he was put on a ventilator on Saturday night with his family’s consent. In the end, he lost his fight against cancer and sepsis.
Jogen Chowdhury was born on 16 February 1939 in Daharpara village in Faridpur district, in undivided Bengal. The tragedy of Partition left a deep mark on his life and his art.
He expressed the wounds of refugee life, human helplessness and the inconsistencies around him in a unique artistic language. With ink, pastel and watercolour, he built a completely distinctive style of his own.
In his brushwork, even swollen or broken human faces became living symbols of deep human feeling. That personal language set him apart from others.
After Partition, he moved to Kolkata with his family in 1948. He began studying at the Government College of Art and Craft in Kolkata in 1955. After earning his degree in 1960, he began working as a teacher and designer.
In 1965, he travelled to Paris on a scholarship from the French government. There he received advanced training in drawing and printmaking at the famous École des Beaux-Arts and Atelier 17.
That European artistic experience added a new dimension to his use of line and colour. Its imprint remained in his work even after he returned home.
His contribution was not confined to brush and canvas. He also left a deep mark in administration and education. From 1972 to 1987, he served as curator of the art gallery at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
He also taught at Kala Bhavan at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan and later headed it. For his outstanding contribution to art, he received the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s most prestigious civilian honours, along with many national and international awards. The French government also gave special recognition to his work.
Alongside his art, he became involved in politics in the later part of his life. As an active member of the Trinamool Congress, he also served as a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India’s parliament.
Jogen Chowdhury’s death has created an irreplaceable void in the art world. As a proud son of Faridpur, his memory will live on among people on both sides of Bengal.
