JOGEN CHOWDHURY (B. 1939)

Reclining Man in Agony; Untitled (In Anger)

Details

JOGEN CHOWDHURY (B. 1939)
Reclining Man in Agony; Untitled (In Anger)
signed and dated 'Jogen 2001', signed and dated in Bengali and inscribed 'Santiniketan' (upper edge); initialed and dated in Bengali (lower edge); further inscribed, titled and dated 'Artist: Jogen Chowdhury / Title: Reclining Man in Agony / Size: 27 x 36.1 cm. / Medium: Dry pastels on paper / Year: 2001 Santiniketan' (on the reverse);
dated in Bengali and signed and dated 'Jogen 2001' (upper edge); initialed in Bengali and signed, dated and inscribed 'Jogen 2001 Santiniketan' (lower edge)
dry pastel on paper
10 5/8 x 14¼ in. (27 x 36.2 cm.); 14¼ x 10 5/8 in. (36.2 x 27 cm.)
(2)Executed in 2001; Two works on paper
2

Provenance

Acquired directly from the artist

Literature

Jogen Chowdhury: New Work, exhibition catalogue, New York, 2002 (one illustrated, unpaginated)

Exhibited

New York, Bose Pacia, Jogen Chowdhury, 2002

Lot Essay

"A drawing is about being able to cultivate the body and spirit [...] it is not only about a pretty picture. Working with the basic nature of a person is very much a characteristic of my work; I draw upon natural elements of people's faces for inspiration."
(Artist statement, Jogen Chowdhury, Abahoman: Flowing Life, exhibition catalogue, New Delhi, 2007, unpaginated)

Jogen Chowdhury's rich aesthetic vocabulary evocatively combines traditional imagery with a powerful contemporary disposition, reflecting his memories and experiences. Looking beyond the works of his stylistic predecessors from the Bengal School, the artist focuses on folkloric aspects of Indian culture and popular artistic traditions like Kalighat painting for inspiration.

Characterized by strong lines, amoebic figures and intricately decorated surfaces, Chowdhury's art draws equally from the natural and the psychological, exuding both boldness and fragility. In works like these, the artist succinctly captures fleeting emotions and ephemeral instances of vulnerability with a lucidity that stems from his highly developed technique and comprehension of the human condition.

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