Somnath Hore Art of Wounds

SOMNATH HORE ART OF WOUNDS

Atanu Bhattacharya

Empathy imposes beauty on the ugliest objects; lack of empathy robs even the most beautiful of it.”

HORE

Sketches, sculptures, paintings, drawings and prints — the works of Somnath Hore reflected on an era of darkness. The historical events of 20th-century Bengal, like the man-made famine of 1943 or the sharecroppers’ agitation of Tebhaga in 1946–47, shaped his art differently and away from the traditional techniques and topics. He couldn’t forget the firsthand experience of human suffering in the forms of starvation, fighting, killings and exploitation, and manifested them in his visual documentations for magazines of the Communist Party. His socialist ideologies, reaction to the social unrest and Naxalist movement gave birth to the paper pulp print series Wounds, in the late 1960s. The artist felt the intense need to translate his many problematic witnessings into art in the form of ‘wounds’. This volume talks about the series, its inception, making and perceptions about and around the main theme. He wanted to reproduce the essence of a cut or injury with his works using printmaking. The work necessitated some intense research and experimentation with the colours red and white, and the light and shadow effect on a three-dimensional model to reach a satisfactory outcome. Reclusive and reluctant to hold exhibitions, unlike other artists, Somnath Hore wanted his art to be accessible to the masses and not simply be limited to drawing rooms and auction halls. He was a close associate of the painter K. G. Subramanyan and the sculptor Ramkinkar Baij, and won many awards and honours including the Lalit Kala Ratna Puraskar and the Padma Bhushan.

This book is based on the dissertation of Atanu Bhattacharya, the graphic artist and painter, on paper pulp prints by Somnath Hore. Bhattacharya’s time at Rabindra Bharati University and the experience of printmaking got him interested in the master artist and the techniques he employed in his works.

SOMNATH

Atanu Bhattacharya

Translated from Bengali by Ankona Das

Di S tribute D by: m apin p ubli S hing

Fir S t publi S he D in i n D ia in 2023 by

Akar Prakar

Di S tribute D by Mapin Publishing

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t ext © Atanu Bhattacharya / Akar Prakar

i llu S tration S © Akar Prakar / Chandana Hore

all images are copyright of Chandana hore/ estate of the artist

all rights reserved under international copyright conventions. no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

the moral rights of atanu bhattacharya as author of this work are asserted

i S bn : 978-93-94501-00-3

publi S her : Reena Lath and Abhijit Lath

C opye D iting : Mithila Rangarajan / Mapin Editorial

Editorial Manag EME nt / Support: Ankona Das and Siddhi Shailendra

p roo F rea D ing: Siddhi Shailendra, Abhijit Lath

De S ign: Roma Sinai Mukherjee, Studio C109

p hotography: Akar Prakar Archives / Atanu Bhattacharya

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Caption S :

Front cover: Wounds 27 (Artists Proof), Pulp print, 1973

back cover: Untitled 2, Experimental Red series

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“…not sure if it can be called inspiration. It is better to think of it as a necessity—it has to be done, I must do it, I can’t rest or relax until I do it.”

SOMNATH HORE

FOREWORD

“The wound is the place the light enters you” rumi

We first met the reclusive artist Somnath Hore in 2004 when he was a frail man in a woollen cap, with soft eyes, and long thin fingers. He sat on a wooden chair with the sun streaming in from a window. Sitting in front of a round wooden table, we were served tea and cakes.

interestingly, we had gone to meet him as one met a friend’s father. We were showing his daughter Chandana’s work in our then one-year-old art gallery, in a show titled new Wave in bengal art. We had gone to her studio and had the privilege to meet the man whose image was larger than life. extremely grounded, he welcomed us, expressed his happiness at the fact that we were showcasing Chandana’s work, and asked if Dr. mukund lath was well. the meeting may not have had many words but there had been a strong presence in the air, a deep space that we had shared with Somnath hore.

Since the artist’s death in 2006, we became more active in the art world and before long, we were collecting and showcasing his work at akar prakar. his artworks and contribution to printmaking in indian art history are well known. although his art has been about pain and suffering, he seems to be referring to a place where the artwork is also free of its subjectiveness.

on the occasion of Somnath hore’s birth centennial, we felt the need to not only showcase but also discuss his work with the larger audience and community. We are delighted to support the publication Wounds with art1st, a book to introduce his art to children. this was an exciting moment as the children were responding to the book with amazing results. on the occasion of the book launch, many children had willingly shared their expression of wounds on the ‘Wall of healing’ through their artworks and words. Children are the voice of innocence, and their responses to Somnath hore’s art have been endearing. many philosophers and artists will agree that pain and suffering can be transmuted into empathetic expressions, of which Somnath hore was the master.

During this period of engaging with his art, we discovered atanu bhattacharya’s dissertation on Somnath hore’s white-on-white pulp prints, commonly referred to as the Wounds series. this was an amazing find, as the study had a discussion on the white pulp print techniques, and also a one-on-one interview with the artist.

bhattacharya later admitted that it was a challenge to convince Somnath hore to discuss his white-on-white pulp prints with him for the dissertation. Fortunately, bhattacharya’s mentor, pinaki barua, had been

a favourite student of Somnath hore and helped convince the artist. bhattacharya reminisced how he was warned by his mentor that “it would not be an easy task to work under the master and that Somnath hore had to be treated with kid gloves as he was a very sensitive artist.” bhattacharya observed the technique and wrote his dissertation in bengali over several sittings in 1992.

in our journey through the collection of Wounds, we had also collected some smaller experimental white pulp prints and the ‘reds’, along with their corresponding metal plates. they were something we had never seen before. the reds had a deep smooth velvety look, despite the intense abstract impression created by the artist and visible on it.

So what was the story behind the white pulps and reds? Why were the reds never shown to the public? did the sensitive artist find them to be too red and put them away as an experiment he would touch upon later in his life? the reds were the gateway to the white pulp prints process that would emerge. the reds, as we refer to them, are only a few in existence as far as we know. there may have been more but we haven’t seen or heard of them in the many years that we have collected his work. pranabranjan ray, who was a close friend of Somnath hore and has written extensively on his work and life, was pleasantly surprised to see the reds. he too feels that these were experiments created while exploring his journey to the white pulp prints. in bhattacharya’s dissertation, which is published here, Somnath hore talks about experimenting with the artwork to arrive at the final masterpiece. He says, ‘‘Whatever work of art you create, there is always a sense of dissatisfaction. you think, ‘is this all? Can i not go a little further?’ i had to engage in technical experiments over a long period of time in order to do my work in the Wounds series. it took me nearly seven to eight years to give it a finished and final form because i had never seen this kind of work anywhere before.”

i am grateful to Chandana who agreed that the reds, along with the white pulp prints, or Wounds, must be exposed and shown as part of his artistic journey. gratitude to bhattacharya for giving us his consent to publish his essay. thank you to our distributor, mapin publishing, for supporting us. and salute to Kiran nadar and roobina Karode for hosting the retrospective of the master at the Kiran nadar museum of art as part of the centenary year celebrations.

Somnath hore was a man of few words, but his art speaks volumes. as said by b hattacharya, “ they convey a deep human sensibility irrespective of time, place or person.”

reena and abhijit lath

The Artist and His Time

Somnath

Hore, in the course of his life, was witness to a period of darkness, beginning in 1934 and stretching to 1949. The hurts inflicted upon him by those dark experiences reverberated deeply through his creativity.

Quite early in his life, that is, from adolescence to youth, when he barely began to see life in its true colours, he experienced occasions of harsh reality which developed a robust self-confidence. He came in close contact with the Communist Party in 1941 before he became acquainted with the art world. Through many adverse circumstances, devastating, traumatic events and setbacks, he arrived at a self-realisation that was to be the unshakable foundation of his artistic consciousness for the future.

The first-hand experience of the 1943 Bengal famine, the poverty of his family after his father’s death, Chittoprasad’s company, and the direct contact with destitute people suffering from hunger and want enabled his inner self to achieve an immutable realisation of the nature of deep human anguish.

Not only the famine of 1943. During 1946–49, his participation in the Sharecroppers’ Movement, Vietnam Day, the riots, India’s Independence, living underground when the Communist Party was banned—all these experiences have come back again and again in his creations with the fervour, the appeal of naked truth and the helplessness of human suffering.

Those pitiless days were reminders of a horror which built up a sense of self-reproach in the artist. He did not experience them directly, their heat did not singe him. But he could understand how those unbearable events affected his artistic conscience and made him devote all his life to the goal of painting honestly. This conscience never allowed him to commercialise his art, to think in terms of paltry success or produce art to please people.

Somnath Hore’s Milieu and Evolution

Atthe core of Hore’s worldview lies the concept of an amorphous, inexorable pitilessness and the resultant human agony. He used to bring life and essence to these emotions, sometimes through the sensitive shape of metal, through worn-out metal foils, or through livid wound marks on white paper.

His strong desire to express himself in the course of his search for the true essence of humanity resulted in his first milestone artwork, Sharecroppers’ Movement of Tebhaga.

At the initial stage of Hore’s apprenticeship in art, he used his woodcut prints like Raate Khuli Baithak (Night meeting) or Dhankata (Harvesting) to hint at the desired hopes of the neglected and refer more directly to actual happenings during the complex political situations.

Afterwards, when he witnessed many instances of torture and heard the lamentations of victims, he eventually learnt how to keep himself at a distance and use only the distilled essence of his experiences in his art.

The scarred façade of metal plates corroded by hot acid in works like The Child, The Eclipse, and The Journey, convey the impact of the devastating famine. The burnt-out scars in the metal foils seemed like stark, direct depictions of carefully organised exploitation. The idea of Wounds was born from the continual erosion caused by corrosive acids on metal plates. To further explore the idea to the fullest extent, he created deep abrasions, like swelling wounds, in white-on-white graphics on handmade paper. Feelings of suffering caused by blows of inhuman cruelty have been suggested by sculptures, graphics or pen and ink sketches of deep, wide-open wounds. A single idea, a wound, seems to be an integral part of his inner self. A natural tendency towards simplification has helped extend this idea to many of his works. Whether in the daring technical innovation of two-colour lithographs or the simplified form of two helpless hands in bronze—his art appears simple and yet pregnant with meaning. The hard but malleable characteristics of bronze are utilised to depict the Comrade consoling his friend or the sexual urge of two mating animals. The metalwork depiction of the submissive, apathetic decay of the downtrodden or the pen and ink sketch of wounds in bold lines, display his indomitable committed consciousness.

plate no. 60 Zinc plate 9.75 x 7 inches

untitled artist's proof pulp print 20 x 24 inches

untitled artist's proof pulp print 20 x 24 inches

Reasons Why the Wounds Series Deserves Special Attention

Reasons Why the Wounds Series Deserves Special Attention

InIna life dedicated to art, the Wounds series marks a high point of achievement in the trajectory of Somnath Hore’s development as an artist. The wound image signifies a very personal artistic style sprung from the artist’s rare life experiences. It fills the viewer with melancholy but also ignites the fire of protest. The works’ language of art does not need a separate introduction or narrative, as they convey a deep human sensibility irrespective of time, place or person. This expressiveness is distinct from the characteristics of graphics, sculptures or sketches. Unceasing hard work added a different dimension to the results obtained by technical experimentation. A special aesthetic quality was created, which could convey the urges of his innermost self. It is natural therefore to focus on this particular series of his creative output.

a life dedicated to art, the Wounds series marks a high point of achievement in the trajectory of Somnath Hore’s development as an artist. The wound image signifies a very personal artistic style sprung from the artist’s rare life experiences. It fills the viewer with melancholy but also ignites the fire of protest. The works’ language of art does not need a separate introduction or narrative, as they convey a deep human sensibility irrespective of time, place or person. This expressiveness is distinct from the characteristics of graphics, sculptures or sketches. Unceasing hard work added a different dimension to the results obtained by technical experimentation. A special aesthetic quality was created, which could convey the urges of his innermost self. It is natural therefore to focus on this particular series of his creative output.

The characteristics of this artistic creativity coexisting with contemporary social decay remind us of true conscience and of honest emotions. The shoddy but showy and gimmicky, market-oriented currents of contemporary art have little life in them. That is why the Wounds series is even more meaningful for us today. Around an honest creation of art is woven a network of diverse dishonest works. This wound of our times is truly heartbreaking because it is determined to prove that dishonesty is honesty.

The characteristics of this artistic creativity coexisting with contemporary social decay remind us of true conscience and of honest emotions. The shoddy but showy and gimmicky, market-oriented currents of contemporary art have little life in them. That is why the Wounds series is even more meaningful for us today. Around an honest creation of art is woven a network of diverse dishonest works. This wound of our times is truly heartbreaking because it is determined to prove that dishonesty is honesty.

The Artist’s Background and Development

Ibeganmy work from the time of the Bengal famine of the fifties (Bengali year 1350, 1943 C.E.). The events that happened in the pre-Independence years shook me greatly because the agony of colonial bondage was an everpresent reality, everybody felt it. We saw at the time how the ruling class could make such a terrible famine happen at a mere whim. Their whims could cause riots, allow inhuman exploitation, destitution, anything and everything. So, from witnessing these events, also to some extent from coming in contact with the Communist Party, and getting involved with political movements, a stable concept developed in my mind. You may call it consciousness and it developed internally. From that point and ever since I began to paint, the wounds or dark times occupied a place in my mind. So unlike others, I could not simply put my mind to painting, say, a landscape, still life, portrait or any ‘composition’, whether in the tradition of Jamini Roy, Atul Bose, or Nandalal Bose. I could not quite go in that direction. Not that I disliked them. I liked them a lot. I wondered whether I could ever paint like them, whatever the subject. I enrolled in Art College quite late in life but at that point of time, I did not know myself or what kind of thoughts and ideas were slowly germinating in my mind. I participated in political movements for a long period of time. Political slogans disseminated through printing rather than painting per se.

“My pulp print use came much later, say around the years 1968–69 when I had resigned from my Delhi job and came back to Calcutta. That was the time when the Naxalite movement had begun in earnest, there were fighting and killings all around. I could not quite grasp the whys and the wherefores. They seemed meaningless. After all, we had participated in political movements before. To be sure, we also made mistakes but those mistakes seemed to have increased tenfold in the Naxalite movement. I sort of felt there was a similarity between what they were doing and what had happened during the famine of 1943 or the riots of 1946. It seemed an irrational wastage of energy, somehow like self-inflicted wounds. These ideas began to work in my subconscious.”

Question: Did you immediately understand all this at the time or did the realisation come later?

“...no. It was the direction of the work I was doing that suggested it. For example, you are pouring acid on a plate. It will fizz and start to erode. That would be a wound. So, this way the technique of work was creating a wound. The same thing would happen if you carve wood with a thin nail knife or a chisel. The process of carving itself is making a wound. As I did these works, I felt that at some point I could find a similarity between the medium and my thought or concept. Earlier, when I first began my work, I would start with a subject, thinking that I would do a painting on it. But after going to Delhi, the content was no longer that important. I would work on a plate, and maybe begin to paint from a point in it. The ‘spacing’ in that painting was important. With time, the painting began to take its own shape. While corroding the plate with acid, the pictures, perhaps, took different shapes. Since the entire matter was passing through a process like wound-making, I could see an overall image of a wound. And this inspiration that you talk about—I am not sure if it can be called inspiration. It is better to think of it as a necessity—it has to be done, I have to do it. I cannot rest or relax until I do it.”

Zinc plate

6.75 x 9.75 inches

plate no. 18

plate no. 22

plate no. 22

plate no. 22

Zinc plate 9.5 x 7 inches

Zinc plate 9.5 x 7 inches

Zinc plate 9.5 x 7 inches

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Special thanks from Atanu Bhattacharya: Pinaki Barua, Partha Pratim Roy, Arijit Bhattacharya, Atin Basak, Satyen Banerjee, Samir Chakraborti, and Somnath Hore

Special thanks from Akar Prakar: To all our collectors for supporting Somnath Hore’s legacy and for their kind permission to publish the images of the Wounds prints in their collection for this publication. Especially, Caro Macdonald Collection, Darashaw Keki Mehta, DV Salgaonkar, Kiran Nadar, Natalia Bondarenko Collection, Neerja and Mukund Lath, Sunita Choraria, Tad J. Freese, The Motwani Family Collection and V. Sanjay Kumar.

MODERN & CONTEMPORARY ART

Somnath Hore

Art of Wounds Atanu

88 pages, 63 illustrations

6.6 x 10.25” (168 x 260 mm), hc

ISBN: 978-93-94501-00-3

SOMNATH HORE was born in Chittagong (now in Bangladesh) in 1921. Despite receiving a diploma in printmaking from the Government College of Art and Craft, Calcutta, he went on to carry out visual documentation and reportage of the Bengal famine in 1943 for the Communist Party magazine Janayuddha (People’s War). The early phases of his artistic career were influenced by socialist ideologies formed around the Sharecroppers’ movement of Tebhaga (1946) in Bengal. By the 1950s, he earned a name as one of the premier printmakers in India, and headed the Graphics and Printmaking Department at Kala Bhavana, Santiniketan.

His works were showcased in numerous national and international exhibitions including the Venice Biennale, Italy, in 1962 and the Sao Paolo Biennale, Brazil, in 1963. The paper pulp print series Wounds was started in the late 1960s as a response to the Naxalite movement and the social unrest around the world.

He was awarded the National Award for Painting in 1960, National Award for Graphics in 1963, and the Lalit Kala Ratna Puraskar in 2004 by the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi. Apart from this, he was also honoured with Professor Emeritus at Kala Bhavana, Santiniketan, and the Gagan-Aban award in Kolkata, in 1984. Somnath Hore died in Santiniketan in 2006, at the age of 85.

ATANU BHATTACHARYA, born in Kolkata in 1964, is a graphic artist by profession, known for his abstract paintings, experimenting with printing ink and acrylic. He completed his Bachelors in Visual Arts (Printmaking) in 1990 and his Masters in Visual Arts (Printmaking) in 1992, both from the Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata. His final year dissertation on pulp prints by Somnath Hore was done under the guidance of Pinaki Barua.

His first solo exhibition was held at the Society of Contemporary Artists’ Gallery, Kolkata in 2008. He has participated in various group shows in places including the Brownson Art Gallery, New York in 2009 and CIMA Gallery, Kolkata in 2002.

He has been a recipient of the Rabindra Bharati University’s Visual Art Faculty Graphics Award in 1993, and a member of the Society of Contemporary Artists since 2008. His works are part of numerous collections in India and abroad, including National Gallery of Modern Art and Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.

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