Calcutta progressive group (1943-53)

The Calcutta Group was a group of modern artists in India, formed in

1943 in Kolkata.
It has the distinction of being the first artistic movement of its kind in
both Bengal and all of India.
Though short-lived – the Calcutta Group was instrumental in the
transformation of contemporary Indian art and brought this genre
onto the world stage.

Core Members (1943)

Subho Tagore Paritosh Sen
Nirode Mazumdar Pradosh Das Gupta
Rathin Moitra Kamala Das Gupta
Prankrishna Pal Gopal Ghosh
Subho Tagore (1912 – 1991)
Grand-nephew of Rabindranath Tagore, was a budding artist who studied
art at the Governmental School of Art in Calcutta. After traveling to London
for a few years in order to hone his artistic skills, he moved back to India
with the idea of creating a group for plastic artists.
Along with fellow painters Nirode Mazumdar, Rathin Maitra, Prankrishna
Pal and Gopal Ghosh, he formally created the Calcutta Group in 1943.
Later, Paritosh Sen, along with sculptors Pradosh Das Gupta, Kamala Das
Gupta also joined the society.
Over the years, other artists joined the group as well including Abani Sen
in 1947, Gobardhan Ash in 1950, Sunil Madhav Sen in 1952, and Hemanta
Mistra in 1953.
During this period of time, Bengal - a state in India, home to many of
the group's members - had been facing many tragedies including
wars, famines, massacres, and even the partition of the country.

Stemming from these events, the members of the Calcutta Group

focused not on aesthetic, but on the social and political realities of
the state and nation at the time.

Many of the group's members were actually sympathetic towards

the Communist Party that was making its way through India and
some were even militants themselves.
The group's manifesto was a synthesis of all of these ideas that
stressed two main points: renouncement of religion in art and
creation of opportunities for Indian art to modernize.
The first idea was meant to remove the evils of demagoguery
and elitism and produce works that focused on the population
as a whole.
However, the dismissal of works based n Hindu mythology
came across as anti-religious and even atheistic and therefore
shocked many, leading to the moniker "Artistic Scandal".

Ref:
Lalit Kala Contemporary, Vol.31, April-1981.
https://criticalcollective.in/ArtistGInner2.aspx?Aid=312&Eid=323
Gopal Ghose is one of the major artists of the 20th Century Modern India.
1913-1980, Kolkata.
 
Due to the resignation of Subho Tagore and prolonged absence of Mazumdar and Sen in
France, Prodosh Dasgupta in 1950 had no other option but to leave, Gopal Ghosh quickly
included Abani Sen, Gobardhan Ash, Hemanta Mishra to keep the group and others moving.
Formed during World War II and the Bengal Famine in 1943, the Group spelt out the contours
of Modernism in Indian art some years before Progressive Artist Group, Bombay.
 
Gopal Ghose was basically a romantic dreamer, a rebel in some sense, who had been unable
to attune to the complexities that urbanization brings.
He had gone back to nature. His approach may remind one of Wordsworth.
But even if one studies a sample of his works, one makes out immediately that he rather is a
Tagorean who tries to be one with nature.
In art-historical terms he has imbibed the basics of modernity from Post Impressionism down
to Abstract Expressionism, Indian miniatures to the landscape paintings of idealism and
classicism. Yet he has moulded such opposites into a perfect style that is personally his own.
Ghose concentrated on landscapes and worked away on
undulating hills and vales of the various places that he
visited in his own manner and style.
The rugged fields with lonely trees, rice fields spreading
to the horizon are the subject of his works In them rarely
does an aboriginal woman or perhaps a cow comes into
view.
Gopal Ghose's watercolours and pastels make it almost
seem that India or even America does not have people.
Most of the time he seems to have left out men and
beasts.
 
Devoid of human existence, conflict and compassion, it
is, in a sense a search for mystical joy. This is his strength
and also his weakness. Gopal Ghosh, Tree,
water colour on paper
• The war years in Calcutta constituted a period of crystallization for the adoption
of a new visual language taking inspiration from international modernism. This
movement accelerated with the departure of numerous Indian artists to Europe
at the end of the War, fostered by a new French cultural policy towards India.
• Nirode Mazumdar, a founding member of the Calcutta Group—was awarded a
scholarship by the French government to go to Paris in 1946, and was followed by
many others.
• Probably enticed by the departure of his friend, Paritosh Sen also left for Paris in
1949 and enrolled in various academies until 1954.
• The sculptor Sankho Chaudhury also came in 1949 to “study all the questions
related to French contemporary art.”
• The three Bengali artists used to meet regularly and even visited the studio of
Brancusi together.
• The reason why so many decided to stay in Paris was partly because there was no
market for Indian modern art in India until the 1950s partly because Paris was full
of artistic vitality.
Paritosh Sen (1918 in Dacca- 2008)
A painter, illustrator, tutor and writer, Paritosh Sen has been a part of the
world of Indian art for decades now.
After reading through the art journal Prabasi published by D.P. Roy
Chowdhury, he ran away from his house to study art.
He studied Fine Arts at the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Chennai.
In 1942, he moved to Calcutta, where he and a group of friends formed the
Calcutta Group, an association of artists that sought to incorporate
contemporary values in Indian art.
Unaware of the European modern art till the forties, Sen explored and
experimented with Indian visual idioms of art.
While teaching at Art College, Indore, Sen discovered masters like Van Gogh,
Gauguin, Cezanne.
This pushed him to go to Paris, so in 1949, he left for Paris to study further,
attending the Ecole des Beaux Arts.
• This trip got him to a closer acquaintance with European art. One of the greatest
inspirations of his life was meeting Pablo Picasso.
• Sen returned to India in 1954, and began working with new energy in his artworks.
• A painter, illustrator, tutor and writer, Sen’s more recognizable works are his
caricatures, which reflect strong underlying socio-political shades, and his female
nude drawings.
• His style of representation is influenced by traces of cubism. He uses two
dimensional, structured planes but still creates an illusion of voluptuousness. 
• His drawings and paintings are noted for their strong lines and bold, stylised
strokes.
• The human figure, expressing a myriad of emotions dominates his art.
• A recurrent subject in Sen’s works is his depiction of scenes from everyday urban
life.
• A prolific writer, Sen has published many works on art in both Bengali and in
English, including a series of autobiographical vignettes titled ‘Jindabahar Lane’.
• His works have been exhibited in India and internationally. The French government
conferred on him the L’officier de l’ordere des arts et des letters and Lalit Kala
Akademi honoured him with the title Lalit Kala Ratna in 2004.
 Paritosh Sen

Title: Watermelon Vendor
Date: 1993 Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Title: Gorilla
Size: 125.5 x 126 Date: 1996
Medium: Charcoal on Paper
Size: 72 x 53
Paritosh Sen's more
recognizable works are his
caricatures, which reflect
strong underlying socio-
political shades, and his
female nude drawings.
His style of representation is
influenced by his exposure to
Western Modern art, and has
traces of cubism.
He uses two dimensional,
structured planes but still Paritosh Sen in his Calcutta studio,
creates an illusion of 11th October 2005
voluptuousness.
Ref: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1130&c
ontext=artlas
Prodosh Dasgupta (Bangladesh, 1912-1991).
He graduated from Calcutta University before going to learn sculpture at the
Government School of Art and Craft, Chennai, and the Lucknow School of
Arts and Crafts.
Studied sculpture at the Royal Academy of Arts and LCC Central School,
London, and the Ecole de Grand Chaumier, Paris.
On his return to India in 1940, he set up his studio in Calcutta.
He also founded the Calcutta Group with other artists and held its first
exhibition in 1943.
The group was founded to break away from the formal styles taught in Indian
art institutions, and move towards a more global aesthetic.
Stemming from his belief that contemporary Indian sculpture did not stem
from any definite root, Dasgupta searched for a sculptural form which
expressed contemporary ideas yet creating a form to express the pressure of
energy oozing out.
PRODOSH DAS GUPTA

TWISTED FORM, 1953

UNTITILED.
Dasgupta undoubtedly achieved the fluid rhythm in his sculptures that
reflected Western influences along with traditional Indian ones. 
He also tried creating sculptures that balanced form and content. He
experimented with the idea of creating a sculpture in a few minutes,
thus coined a term ‘instant sculpture’.
It was important for him to physically engage with the material without
any preconceived notions.
As part of the process of creating the sculptures, he squeezed, twisted,
rolled, pinched and flattened the clay.
Some of his figurative sculptures were realistic, and some were more
abstract in nature.
Dasgupta served as Curator of the National Gallery of Modern Art
(NGMA), New Delhi, from 1957 to 1970.
Diversity in Art
Inspired by the shape of the egg—
and its significance to the concept of birth,
or origin—Dasgupta’s sculptures range
from solid, symmetrical structures to
irregular, fluid figures.
 
It is indicated that his works like Devils and
Dame, Hungry Family and Convicts and
Aristocrats “…bear the essence of his
political consciousness, reflecting the time
he was living in.”
Dasgupta’s materials ranged from bronze
to marble and sometimes even employ
SUN WORSHIPERS
steel. “This highlights his versatility.”
Prodosh Das Gupta

Bride, 1990

Untitled

Aristocrats, 1990
Cradle
Other artists who explored with tradition and the new concepts..
• Artists like Ganesh Pyne in Calcutta whose personal sensibilities made him
delve into his heritage, also revisited tradition.
• Jogen Chowdhury, following his exposure to European art in Paris stopped
working for a while, returned to evolve, a visual language that carried
resonances of local traditions.
• Visual traditions, classical, folk and popular, coloured the imagination of
several artists.
• The creative ferment in Baroda urged experiments with the narrative
mode and figuration.
• Gulammohammed Sheikh, Bhupen Khakhar, Jyoti Bhatt, Neelima Sheikh,
Laxma Goud and others charted their independent new courses, much
influenced by the ‘narrative’.
These artists were inspired by the past practices and living traditions.
Prof. K. G. Subramanyan, (1924-16)
Trained at Kala Bhavana, Santi Niketan, for his part, played a
seminal role in spreading the Santi Niketan philosophy, stressing
that traditional visual language was a rich art historical resource.
He used traditional elements with a modernist sensibility giving a
new direction to visual language.
Subramanyan played the role of a catalyst, the creative ferment
in Baroda (begun 1950)
urged experiments with the narrative mode and figuration.
Gulam mohammed Sheikh, Bhupen Khakhar, Jyoti Bhatt, Neelima
Sheikh, Laxma Goud were all part of the Baroda group.
 Untitled, 2010, Gouache on paper,

Varanasi I, 2007
Gouache & Acrylic on Canvas
30 × 30 in
K.G. Subramanyan. 
An artist of the Bengal School, working in the post-
Independence situation, he was more open to Western
traditions and realized that many of its innovations were shaped
by cross-cultural innovations. 
Taking cue from Nandalal, Picasso's post-cubit explorations and
the primitive arts that inspired it, as well as from the indigenous
folk and popular arts, he developed a work process which began
from simple and often non-objective work units and through
their variable orchestrations worked towards different levels of
perceptual and experiential correspondence.
Anatomy Lesson (detail), 2008,
terracotta reliefs, 30 × 30 in. each.
Collection Kiran Nadar Museum
of Art, New Delhi.

Ref:
1-
https://www.documenta14.de/en/notes-and-work
s/1049/in-memoriam-k-g-subramanyan-1924-2016
-
2-
https://www.documenta14.de/en/notes-and-work
s/1049/in-memoriam-k-g-subramanyan-1924-2016
-
Subramanyan’s being, remains a testament to India’s long journey from
decolonial struggle into freedom, from institution-building and national
modernization to the circulation of global capital and the escalation of right-
wing communal hostility. In his gentle yet strong-willed composure, this depth
of experiential truth resonated with a lightness of knowing.
His artistic work lies at the threshold where the power of mythology and spaces
of reality become intimately bound, as emblematic life lessons and the shape-
shifting character of historiography. As a muralist, he dealt with the
incongruities of this world—those positive and negative surfaces that together
determine existence in its exuberant dimensionality. The stories he wrote and
illustrated with ink drawings as well as paper-cut collages brought us a satire and
wise humor uniquely his own, mobilized to expose complex insights. When I
asked if some of those literary tales weren’t too menacing for young minds,
Subramanyan simply chuckled and said, “These stories are for everyone, but our
experience of reality is even darker.”
  UNTITLED, 2009
Subramanyan’s being, remains a MEDIUM : SILK SCREEN ON PAPER, 36 X 30 INCH  

testament to India’s long journey from

decolonial struggle into freedom, from
institution-building and national
modernization to the circulation of global
capital and the escalation of right-wing
communal hostility. In his gentle yet
strong-willed composure, this depth of
experiential truth resonated with a
lightness of knowing.
His artistic work lies at the threshold
where the power of mythology and
spaces of reality become intimately
bound, as emblematic life lessons and the
shape-shifting character of historiography.
MODERN INDIAN ART AND ABSTRACTION
By the early 1920's the parallel streams of British Academic orthodoxy and
modern art inspired by traditional Indian sources ran simultaneously.
These two stepping-stones would engender enough reaction to open up new
paths.
The first generation, characterised Renaissance, as an intellectual awakening
which profoundly affected our literature, education, thought and art.
The succeeding generation, became a moral fierce and reformed the Indian
society and religion. It brought about the economic modernization of India.
The third, ultimately the political emancipation.
The collection of abstract art showcases the diverse use of material, colours,
forms and textures.
Moreover, it ranges from ascetic simplicity to a rich sensuousness in mood and
imagination.
• Present-day Indian art is varied as it had been never before.
• The increase in discourse about Indian art, in English as well as
vernacular Indian languages, changed the way art was perceived in the
art schools.
• The impetus for a revolutionary ‘avant gaurde’ aspect and forming of
progressive groups and institutions all over India to promote modern
Indian art was warming up.
• The Indian artists had to establish their identity and authenticity as did
the Third World nations internationally.
• This aspect is observed all over India in all schools of art, new
organisations came up, private art galleries were opening up, forming a
platform for the artists.
• An attempt was made to deal in an original way with the modern
problem in the light of new inspiration.
The Archaeological Survey of India had declared in 1976 and 1979, the
works of the following nine artists “not being antiquities, to be art
treasures, having regard to their artistic and aesthetic value.”
Raja Ravi Varma Abanindranath Tagore
Nandalal Bose Gaganendranath Tagore
Jamini Roy Rabindranath Tagore
Amrita Sher-GilNicholas Roerich Sailoz Mookherjea
Thankyou!!