Somnath Hore

Somnath Hore was one of the greatest Indian artists of the 20th century. He left an indelible mark through his contributions to the independence struggle. But how did he reach the level of artistic prowess that we know today? Read on to find out.

Somnath Hore. Image Source: Wikipedia.

Somnath Hore attended the Government School of Art in Calcutta for a brief while in the mid-1940s, when he studied under artist Zainul Abedin and later printmaker Saifuddin Ahmed. His intellectual development was aided by a participative, collective approach with fellow artists such as Chittaprosad. He established the printing programme at the Delhi Polytechnic of Art and mentored students at Kala Bhavana, Santiniketan, throughout his thirty-year teaching career.

Hore had witnessed the devastation wreaked by the Japanese bombing as a young man of 22 in Chittagong, and had captured the atrocities of the terrible Bengal Famine of 1943, which claimed the lives of 2.1-3 million people. For the remainder of his life, the pain he witnessed during the famine and the war, as well as his unwavering empathy for people's suffering, haunted all of his work.

He was a Communist Party activist, like many sensitive young men in Bengal in the 1940s. His subjects were starved people with prominent ribs and hungry youngsters with bloated bellies, which he learned to sketch from the great artist Chittaprasad. In 1946, the Communist Party dispatched him to north Bengal to cover the Tebhaga peasant rebellion, which transformed his life once more. Depictions of secret meetings and revolutionary inspiration, as well as images of the lives of ordinary people's, pervade his work from that time period. Though he later left the Communist Party, he remained committed to the socialist idea throughout his life.

Many an artist and writer's life and art in the 1940s and 1950s were impacted by recollections of prior nationalist uprisings, the Great Bengal Famine (1943), and the epic peasant battle known as Tebhaga (1946). In terms of vigor, passion, and the forceful application of creative imagination to the greater good of fellow humans, their work remains unrivaled. Hore opted for a highly formal, Western style of artmaking, marked by a strong linear quality, and influenced as much by humanist concerns as by the need to represent the disaster-enduring figure.

The 1943 Bengal famine and the 1946 Tebhaga peasant insurrection left an indelible mark on him, resurfacing frequently in his work. His act of reclaiming the deleted, distilled into iconic heads and emaciated bodies, re-inscribed them into public memory, with the pained human form broadly represented in Hore's figuration. The rough surfaces, slits, and holes add to the attraction of his aggressive, basic strokes. Hore's early sketches appeared in Communist Party journals Janayuddha and People's War. He was the quintessential Bengal artist, strongly touched by the cataclysms that reshaped the country's social history, emphasizing the working class and toiling peasants in his works as they grappled with survival difficulties.

Hore began investigating the diverse world of printmaking with curiosity and rigor in the 1950s. In 1958, he became the head of the Delhi Polytechnic's printing department. Now he used etchings, aquatints, intaglios, and lithographs in his work. While the art of printmaking had progressed greatly in other nations, he didn't have many examples to draw from. He was a forerunner in this field. Moving away from the political representational figures of his childhood, a certain abstraction began to manifest in his work, particularly in his colour intaglios.

Like many sensitive young men in Bengal in the 1940s, he was an activist of the Communist Party. He learnt how to sketch from the great artist Chittaprasad; his subjects were starving bodies with ribs sharply evident, and hungry children with distended bellies. In 1946, the Party sent him to north Bengal to document the Tebhaga peasant uprising, which again was an influential event in his life. Images of secret meetings and revolutionary inspiration permeate his work of that era, as do images of people’s daily lives. Though he eventually drifted away from the Communist Party, he believed in the philosophy of socialism all his life.

The memories of past nationalist upsurges, the experience of the Great Bengal Famine (1943), and the historic peasant struggle known as Tebhaga (1946) decisively shaped the life and art of many an artist and writer in 1940s and 1950s. The work they produced remains unmatched in terms of the energy, intensity and the forceful use of creative imagination in the wider interests of fellow human beings.

In the 1950s, Hore began exploring the varied world of print-making with curiosity and rigour. In 1958 he took charge of the printmaking department at the Delhi Polytechnic. Now he experimented with etchings, aquatints, intaglios and lithographs. While the art of printmaking was highly advanced in other countries, he did not have too many reference points to lean on around him. He was among the pioneers of this art. Moving on from the political representational figures of his youth, a certain abstraction has started to appear in his work now, with his colour intaglios being especially striking.

But after nearly 10 years of working in Delhi, he felt that the capital’s pace of life, and its orientation toward success, were not suitable for his temperament. In 1967, he decided to come back to Bengal. This was not a time of a thriving art market, and it was a daring decision financially. Thankfully, in 1968, he was offered a chance to head the printmaking department at Kala Bhavana, and his quality of life, as well as his work, changed further, especially under the influence of the masters Ramkinkar Baij and Benodebehari Mukherjee. The way of life and the closeness to nature, in Santiniketan, suited him very well. He never left Santiniketan and eventually died there.

However, after over ten years of working in Delhi, he thought that the capital's fast-paced lifestyle and focus on success were not suited to his temperament. He decided to return to Bengal in 1967. It was a risky financial decision because the art market was not booming at the time. Thankfully, he was offered the position of head of the printmaking department at Kala Bhavana in 1968, and his quality of life, as well as his work, improved significantly, particularly under the influence of masters Ramkinkar Baij and Benodebehari Mukherjee. Santiniketan's manner of life and proximity to nature suited him perfectly. Santiniketan was his home for the rest of his life, and he died there.

Studying briefly at the Government School of Art, Calcutta, in the mid-1940s, Somnath Hore trained under artist Zainul Abedin, and, later, printmaker Saifuddin Ahmed. A participatory, collective practice with fellow artists like Chittaprosad led to his intellectual growth. In a thirty-year teaching career, he set up the printmaking department of the Delhi Polytechnic of Art, and nurtured students at Kala Bhavana, Santiniketan.

Hore chose a distinctly formal, Western style of artmaking, distinguished by its strong linear quality, and guided by humanist concerns as much as the need to depict the catastrophe-enduring figure. The 1943 Bengal famine and 1946 Tebhaga peasant uprising marked him, reappearing constantly in his works. Distilled into iconic heads and emaciated bodies, his act of recovering the erased re-inscribed them into public memory, with the anguished human form widely reflected in Hore’s figuration. The appeal of his bold, minimal strokes is increased by the rough surfaces, slits and holes. Hore’s early sketches were published in Janayuddha and People’s War, publications of the Communist Party. He was the quintessential Bengal artist deeply affected by the cataclysms that changed its social history, foregrounding in his works the working class and toiling peasant, grappling with issues of survival.

As a young man of 22 in Chittagong, Hore had seen the havoc wrought by Japanese bombing and documented the horrors of the devastating Bengal Famine of 1943, which brought about the deaths of 2.1-3 million people. The misery he saw during the famine and the war, and his uncompromising empathy for peoples’ suffering, haunted all the work he did for the rest of his life.

Somnath Hore finishing his sculpture. Image Source: Prabook.

Somnath Hore as a young man. Image Source: AstaGuru.