Important Notice

Lot 40

“Jogen does not construct his figures like a builder with lumps of flesh or hew it out like a carver all in one piece. Like women crocheting apparels, he knits them into shape – squiggle by squiggle – interlocked into quivering heaving, criss-crossed surfaces” (R Siva Kumar, Jogen Chowdhury – Enigmatic Visions, Glenbarra Art Museum, 2005, p. 9).

In the present lot, it is a bird and a jug that Chowdhury builds out of his signature... “Jogen does not construct his figures like a builder with lumps of flesh or hew it out like a carver all in one piece. Like women crocheting apparels, he knits them into shape – squiggle by squiggle – interlocked into quivering heaving, criss-crossed surfaces” (R Siva Kumar, Jogen Chowdhury – Enigmatic Visions, Glenbarra Art Museum, 2005, p. 9).

In the present lot, it is a bird and a jug that Chowdhury builds out of his signature cross-hatching and light coloring with soft, dry pastels. With its strong outlines and intricate patterning, this piece bears all the hallmarks of the sensuous, meticulous still life that Chowdhury started experimenting with in the 1960s and 70s. Like his portraits, these works are part of Chowdhury`s artistic agenda to elevate all that his viewers perceive as ordinary to a new, extraordinary level. Ironically, it was also the artist`s belief that by taking everyday objects like vases, flowers, fruit and birds, and putting them in his paintings, he could make art more accessible to the general population.

Read More
Artist Profile
Other works of this artist in: this auction  |  entire site