Untitled (Couple with Bird)

Paritosh Sen moved to Calcutta in 1943 where he founded the Calcutta Group with fellow artists Pradosh Das Gupta and Gopal Ghose, among others. The group was interested in exploring contemporary forms of representation that reflected their current political and social environments, especially in response to the Bengal famine and the rise of anti-colonial sentiments throughout the country. In 1949, Sen moved to Paris for five years and studied at the Academie André Lhote, the Academie la Grande Chaumiere, the École des Beaux Arts, and the École des Louvre. Then, in 1970-71, Sen won a grant from the John D. Rockefeller III Foundation and travelled to America. Throughout his lifetime, he exhibited extensively, showing in India, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan and the United States. His most recognizable works are portraits and caricatures, which are often cynical and reflect his strong socio-political bent. Painted in 1952, possibly in Paris, this painting is an excellent example of the early influence of European art on his works and his use of two dimensional structured planes that hint at Cubism.