Many believe that modernism in Indian art began with the works of the Bombay-based Progressive Artists' Group. However, this claim has been the subject of ongoing debate, and it is imperative to challenge this perception.
The Calcutta Group was established four years before the Progressive Artists' Group and played a pioneering role in shaping modern Indian art. The artists of this group closely witnessed the rise of nationalism and the adverse effects of colonialism on national realism. Their artistic expressions were deeply influenced by these observations, long before the Progressive Artists' Group came into existence. From this perspective, there can be no doubt that the Calcutta Group was at the forefront of modernity in Indian art.
Following the formation of the Calcutta Group in 1943, a trend of artist collectives emerged across India. In 1944, the Progressive Painters’ Association was founded under the guidance of K.C.S. Paniker in Madras. The Progressive Artists' Group was established in Bombay in 1947, followed by the Delhi Shilpi Chakra in 1949. Undoubtedly, the Calcutta Group laid the foundation for these artistic movements. Yet, in recent assessments, it has not always received the recognition it rightfully deserves.
The founding members of the Calcutta Group in 1943 were Nirode Mazumdar, Gopal Ghosh, Kamala Dasgupta, Prodosh Dasgupta, and Paritosh Sen. Later, Abani Sen, Rathin Mitra, Gobardhan Ash, Sunil Madhav Sen, and Hemanta Mishra joined the group. Although Ramkinkar Baij actively participated in their exhibitions, he never formally became a member.
The group's first exhibition was held at the Services Arts Club, 28 Chowringhee Road, from March 8 to 18, 1945, featuring works by Nirode Mazumdar, Prodosh Dasgupta, Kamala Dasgupta, Gopal Ghosh, Prankrishna Pal, and Paritosh Sen.
A critical review in Amrita Bazar Patrika on March 27, 1945, stated:
“A group of seven artists of this city have branded themselves under the label ‘Calcutta Group’, a happy echo of the unhappy ‘London Group’. The Calcutta Group, like its London prototype, claims to be held together by a common creed to abjure academic ‘conventions,’ Indian or European, while adhering to Indian traditions.”
Similarly, a critic in The Statesman wrote:
“The source from which the Calcutta Group—who, I expect, would issue a manifesto of their artistic preferences—derives its inspiration from Gauguin, Modigliani, and Matisse.”
In January 1949, the group held its Fourth Annual Exhibition at Artistry House, 15 Park Street, which received significant praise from critics and the press. The Calcutta Group’s primary objective was to integrate Western modernism with Indian realities. Founded in 1943, a time when Bengal was ravaged by famine and pestilence, and the world seemed abandoned by the gods, these artists came together to assert that human resilience would continue to shape fine arts, even amidst social upheaval.
By the late 1940s, many members of the group had moved to Paris, then considered the Mecca of the art world. Nirode Mazumdar was the first Indian artist to receive a French Government Scholarship in 1937. Prodosh Dasgupta studied sculpture at the Royal Academy. Other prominent artists who later followed this path included Paritosh Sen, S.H. Raza, Ram Kumar, Shanu Lahiri, Sankho Chowdhury, Haimanti Sen, Anjolie Ela Menon, and Akbar Padamsee.
Without a doubt, the Calcutta Group was among the first organized art movements in India and Asia. Through their collective efforts, they laid the groundwork for modernism in Indian art, paving the way for the generations that followed.
Vinayak Pasricha.