'We don't learn from any one person in life'

Jogen Chowdhury is an eminent Indian painter and considered an important painter of 21st century India. He lives and works in Santiniketan and Kolkata. He graduated from the Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata and subsequently at École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris in 1967.

Jogen Chowdhury developed his individual style after his return from Paris. His most famous paintings are in ink, water colour, and pastel. He has painted in oil as well. Lines and its tactile characteristics to enhance colours is an important material in Indian Art for ages. Chowdhury himself is a master of lines and he is a master in making curves depict the character of his figures.

Excerpts from an interview:

When did you start painting?

I got admitted to the Government College of Art and Craft near the Indian Museum in 1955. My father sketched at home, so that talent was there in me. My mother had a passion for design which I inherited.

When did I decide to become a painter?

Yes, I realized that I can do this well. So I chose this as my profession.

When was your first exhibition?

My first exhibition was in 1963. I passed out of the Government college of art and craft in 1960. The Academy started in this building in 60. Lady Ranu Mukherjee was heading it in 1963 when my exhibition happened.

Were you confident about your profession from the beginning itself?

I was confident from the very beginning. Everybody was happy with my profession…

Who were the teachers who inspired you?

The one teacher who inspired me was Gopal Ghose. He used to teach us in the second year. He divided the classroom into a studio-like structure and used to paint there. Ghose mostly painted landscapes, flowers in pastel shades – these I really liked. but the thing is that we don't learn from any one person, we learn throughout our lives, learn from everybody, from people we encounter including all kinds of artists. There was another artist from East Germany, Kathy Kolwaitz. She held an exhibition at the Indian Museum and I found her drawings to be really powerful. She painted poor people, mother and child and these influenced me a lot.

Tell us about the recent Exhibition….

I have taken part in over 100 exhibitions and 25 one-man shows There have been smaller works also. I have exhibited my works at CIMA twice, Vadehra, Hyderabad, Bangalore and abroad.

What is the message that you want to give out through your paintings?

See, the source of our paintings is our life and surroundings. Our technique is our own and change keeps happening. I am not Rabindranath or Nandalal Bose. I am always on the search for new topics and a different style from all over the world.

Topics of national importance must be influencing you..:

Yes, they do. Riots, Garbeta, CPIM, and Trinamool conflict. There was one gruesome incident in Russia where kids of a school were shot. Then there were incidents in Iraq when US soldiers went berserk. Women have also been an important theme for my paintings and sketches.

What is next?

I am planning a big exhibition at the Emami Calcutta Creative centre in September 2019.

I am also involved with the Santiniketan society for visual art as their Secretary. We have a young artist's exhibition every year and I have to be present on these occasions.

Personally. I have a collection of 200 paintings and I am in the process of creating a gallery plus I will be putting together at least five books on art.

The Charukala Parshad is where I will be spending time and effort too.