Paritosh Sen

About Paritosh Sen

Born on 18 October 1918, Paritosh Sen was a painter, illustrator, tutor and writer, and was part of the world of Indian art for close to four decades. Sen's more recognisable works were his caricatures, which reflected strong underlying socio-political shades, and his female nude drawings. His style of representation was influenced by his exposure to Western Modern art, and had traces of cubism. He used two-dimensional, structured planes but still created an illusion of voluptuousness.

His drawings and paintings were noted for their strong lines and bold, stylised strokes. Although colour was an important aspect of his paintings, it was the human figure, expressing a myriad of emotions, that dominated his art. A recurrent subject in Sen's works was his depiction of scenes from everyday urban life. These activities were rendered from a cynical and detached perspective, which was typically Sen's viewpoint.

Paritosh Sen had a Diploma in Fine Arts from 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. In 1949, he left for Paris to study further, attending, among other institutes, the École des Beaux-Arts. He received a Fellowship for 1970–71 from the John D. Rockefeller III Fund. A prolific writer, Sen published many works in both Bengali and English, including a series of autobiographical vignettes titled 'Jindabahar Lane'. His works were exhibited in India and internationally, in Paris, London, Germany, Tokyo and the US.