Jogen Chowdhury : his life and times

Jogen Chowdhury’s art has an iconic quality. His expression is universal yet strangely reminiscent of a Bengali spirit. Having been educated in both Kolkata and Paris, his art straddles effortlessly between the east and the west. Yet, Jogen remains resolutely individualistic. While imbibing the spirit of western modernism, he emerges with an application which is deeply rooted in his indigenous sensibilities. In course of over four decades of sustained contribution, Jogen emerges as one of the foremost artists of Post independent India. A dedicated teacher with a deep social commitment, Jogen’s art has inspired successive generations of Indian artists of the 1980s and 1990s.

This book captures some of Jogen’s recent ideas, concerns and predilections. After several months of conscientious research, Rita Dutta provides a rare glimpse of his current vision. Her interview is incisive, sensitive and reflects the man, Jogen and his times.

Jogen Chowdhury : His Life and Times emerges as an indispensable book of reference for all researchers and scholars working on contemporary Indian art.

This book contains over sixty coloured illustrations.

About the Author - Rita Datta: Having secured her Masters degree in Modern History from Calcutta University, Rita Datta has been writing extensively on visual art for major publications in India. She is a regular contributor to The Telegraph, the highest selling English daily in eastern India. Among her important published works is ‘Art of Bengal – a vision defined’. Rita Datta is much respected as an art critic and lives and works from Kolkata.

An Enchanted Space : the private world of Ganesh Pyne

Pyne has always painted dream worlds, a world that "is only half articulate and leaves the rest to a strange eloquent silence." Using images from his childhood, religious iconography and the stories of the Bengali epics, he has created an oeuvre that is deeply private, resonant with myth and full of complexity.

An Enchanted Space : The Private World of Ganesh Pyne is being published on the occasion of one of the major solos of this seminal artist. The last book Ganesh Pyne – His Life & Times was published in 1998. It traced his early work – the maturing in the fifties and sixties, the anguished response to the Naxalite movement of the seventies. On the other hand The Enchanted Space focuses on his current work which possesses a new note of sombreness. It reaffirms Pyne’s position as one of the most profound and original artists in India today.

This book contains over fifty coloured illustrations.

About the Author - Prof. Sovon Som Dr. Sovon Som, formerly Professor of History of Art and Dean of the Faculty of Visual Arts at Rabindra Bharati University, also taught at Visva-Bharati University, Havana University, Comenus University, Assam University. He has presented seminar papers on art at New York State University, Dhaka University, Chittagong University, Jordan University, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh and other institutions abroad. Professor Som has guest-edited Lalit Kala Contemporary and the Rabindra Bharati Universtiy journals. He has authored a number of monograms on art and culture in English, Hindi and Bengali. He won the West-Benga State Akademi award in Visual Arts, 2002, for his contribution to History of Art. Professor Som lives and works in Kolkata.

Paresh Maity: The Formative Years

Color catalogue on the works of one of the youngest and leading artists in India. This catalogue illustrates the artist's shift from being a water colorist and becoming a skilled painter in oils and acrylics.

Published in 1997
Price: Rs.250

Atul Dodiya: Recent Works

This exceptionally produced catalogue with full color plates, artists bio-data and a witty and interesting critique on the artist's work by Bhupen Khakhar. A must for any art lover following the development of one of the most cerebral artist.

Published in 1997
Price: Rs.100

Sarbari Roy Chowdhury: Sarbari

One of the leading sculptors in the country today, whose explanations of form and volume are reflective and passionate. This catalogue with 51 color plates brilliantly illustrates the technical skills of the artist.
Bio-data included.
Published in 1997

Price: Rs.200

Somnath Hore: Bronzes

One of the most exciting solo exhibitions held in Calcutta. With 38 pages of articles written by an eminent art historian and the artist himself; and with 32 color plates, this catalogue is a collectors item.

Published in 1995
Price: Rs.350

Arpita Singh

This catalogue has 15 color plates and visually shows why this artist is considered by some to be a leading woman painter. The catalogue also contains an interview between an art critic and the artist, which would be of interest to anyone keen to understand Arpita Singh's metaphors and idiom.

Published in 1996
Price: Rs.100

Jogen: Oils & Drawings 1969-1996

The catalogue documents Jogen Chowdhury's recent switch from pen and ink to oils. The color plates vividly show the strong and startling shades used by the artist. The written text, a conversational interview between an art historian and the artist illuminates the inspirations which led this artist in his expressions of the real and unreal.

Published in 1996
Price: Rs.350

Lalu Prasad Shaw: Paintings, Drawings & Graphics 1970 - 1995

This catalogue has wonderful color and black andwhite reproductions of Lalu Shaw's characteristic tempera drawings. There is a brief written text about the artist.

Published in 1995
Price: Rs.25

Metropolis: Portraits of Calcutta by Shuvaprasanna

The ten color plates illustrate the artist's ability to communicate a mood by his use of colors as if seen through a mist. These portraits of Calcutta and other works, have a universal appeal.

Published in 1994
Price: Rs.100

Sunil Das: Recent Drawings

This catalogue published in 1994, with its ten color art plates, are a visual testament of this artist's willingness to experiment and move away from a 'formula'. The drawings retain the energy of his previous works of stallions and demonstrate the rhythm of his lines.

Published in 1994
Price: Rs.100

Ganesh Haloi: Recent Drawings

Ganesh Haloi is well known for his ability to attain a great affect with simple means. His landscapes drawn with a deliberate interplay of geometrical shapes and lines, create a patterned ornamentation. The color art plates vividly show this fine artist at his most effective.

Published in 1995
Price: Rs.75

Paramjit Singh 1994

This attractive folder would make a wonderful gift to a lover of art. It contains a set of six postcards of Paramjit Singh's landscapes and a booklet which carries an interview of the artist.

Published in 1994
Price: Rs.150

Ganesh Pyne: His Life and Times

A biography of the most enigmatic figure in the Indian art world written by an eminent art critic, Ella Datta, this book is of pioneering significance, both for art lovers as well as for art historians. The size of the book is 28.5cm x 25cm on matte finish art paper in hard cover and contains over 100 photographs in color.

(ISBN 81-87266-00-7)
Published in 1998
Price: Rs.2500

Husain Now

An attractive folder with the cover designed and drawn by the artist. The folder encloses 9 separate black and white plates of abstract paintings from his black/white series. The plates reveal a passionate and serious Husain.
The plates can be framed.

Published in 1998
Price: Rs.200

Jayashree Chakravarty:
Recent Works

16 color plates show why Ms. Chakravarty is one of India's most exciting conceptual artists. The interview shows the contradiction within the artist and the color plates expose how dualities are inseparable. 6 pages printed on imported art paper. Soft cover.

Published in 1999
Price: Rs.150

Bikash Bhattacharjee:
Recent Works

This catalogue is a wonderful introduction to the artist and his inspirations. The article is written by two graduates one from RISI (Rhode Island School of Design) and the other from Oxford University. There are 9 plates, representing Bhattacharjee's reflections on his past themes.

Published in 2000
Price: Rs.250