Modern Indian art

(1) Rain Landscape, (2) Broken Jetty-The Moon Light, 1977, Jogen Chowdhury, Mixed Media

Location: Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum Ph-II

Captivated by folk and tribal arts of India, Jogen Chowdhury settled in Kolkata during partition. Hallucinating visions of his horrific experiences reflect themselves in many of his works.

A marked shift was evident in his artistic style after his stint as a Curator at Rashtrapati Bhavan. His imagery focussed on the faces encountered by him in the domains of this elite house. The horizontal spread of this painting shows nature in all its charm in the first painting.

Swirling black clouds scattered across the canvas and lush green fields in the foreground confirm Chowdhury's artistic expertise. Rows of thick black clouds impart movement amidst the blue sky. Fields in shades of green in central ground show a controlled play of light and shade. Sunrays glide through these clouds penetrating in to middle ground in a descending mode. Blades of grass in upward thrust imbue intense movement and energy.

Chowdhury is now Member of Parliament and Professor Emeritus in Kalabhavan, Visva-Bharati University. He returned in August 2014 to the Rashtrapati Bhavan as the first Artist in Residence under a new programme launched by President Pranab Mukherjee.