Jogen Chowdhury

Jogen Chowdhury (born 1939, Faridpur, Bengal—now in Bangladesh) is one of India’s foremost contemporary artists, widely known for his figurative practice. He studied at the Government College of Art & Craft, Calcutta, and later at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris. These formative experiences shaped both his technical discipline and his approach to drawing. Chowdhury has also played a significant role as an educator, serving as professor and later principal of Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan. Chowdhury’s work is distinguished by its meticulous cross-hatching technique, developed primarily through pastel, watercolour, and ink. His figurative compositions explore the human condition, often engaging with themes of power, conflict, intimacy, and social behaviour. Drawing from lived experience, observation, and broader socio-political realities, his figures are marked by exaggerated forms and compressed pictorial spaces, lending his works a heightened sense of tension and narrative depth. Over several decades, Jogen Chowdhury has exhibited widely in India and abroad, and his works form part of major public and private collections. He has received numerous honours, including the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan, in recognition of his contribution to Indian art. Through both his artistic practice and his influence as a teacher, Chowdhury remains a pivotal figure in the development of modern and contemporary Indian art.