Results for "progressive artists group"

Art and Dissent in the 1940s

The 1940s were a decade of political urgency and artistic transformation in India—especially in Bombay, where anti-colonial movements, Marxist cultural activism, and encounters with European émigrés sparked a radical new visual language. As the Quit India Movement mobilized students and artists alike, figures like P.C. Joshi and Mulk Raj Anand rallied for an art that was politically engaged and socially conscious. The Progressive Writers’ Association, the Calcutta Group, and the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) all shaped a cultural climate where art and resistance were deeply intertwined.

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Art and Dissent in the 1940s

F.N. Souza: A Timeline

This timeline traces the life and work of Francis Newton Souza (1924–2002), mapping the personal losses, political upheavals, and artistic milestones that shaped one of modern India’s most radical and uncompromising painters. Born in colonial Goa and raised between Bombay and Saligao, Souza’s early years were marked by rebellion—against convention, religious orthodoxy, and artistic mediocrity.

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F.N. Souza: A Timeline

শিল্পী সুনীল মাধবের শিল্পচেতনার দর্পন

শিল্পকলার অগ্রগতিতে বিভিন্ন সংগঠন কাজ করে আসছে। ইতিহাসের পাতা থেকে জানা যায় কলকাতায় প্রথম এই ধরণের সংগঠনের জন্ম হয় ১৮৩০ সালে, যার নাম 'ব্রাশ ক্লাব' (Brush Club)। কয়েকজন ভারতীয় ও ব্রিটিশ উদ্যোক্তাদের মধ্যে মধ্যমনি ছিলেন প্রিন্স দ্বারকানাথ ঠাকুর। এর আয়ু ছিল স্বল্পকাল। এরপর কালে কালে এক এক করে অনেক সংগঠন প্রতিষ্ঠিত হয়েছে স্বল্পায়ু নিয়ে। একমাত্র ১৯০৭ সালে প্রতিষ্ঠিত ইন্ডিয়ান সোসাইটি অফ ওরিয়েন্টাল আর্ট (Indian Society of Oriental Art) এখনও সক্রিয়। সাম্প্রতিক কালে এই রকম কয়েকটি সক্রিয় প্রতিষ্ঠানের একটি হলো প্রিন্সেপস (Prinseps)।

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শিল্পী সুনীল মাধবের শিল্পচেতনার দর্পন

Liselotte & F.N. Souza: A Creative Convergence

Francis Newton Souza’s years in London marked a crucial turning point in his artistic journey, shaped not just by the city’s post-war modernist currents but also by his deep and transformative relationship with Liselotte Souza née Kristian (ancestry Kohn). 

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Liselotte & F.N. Souza: A Creative Convergence

Souza and Catholicism: A Lifelong Reflection in Art

Francis Newton Souza’s early years in Goa were immersed in Catholic tradition, shaped by his grandmother, Leopoldina Saldanha. After contracting smallpox in Bombay, he was sent back to Saligao in 1929, where his childhood was steeped in religious rituals. His grandmother, deeply devout, led the family in nightly Rosary prayers and Sunday Mass, filling his imagination with stories of saints, martyrdom, and biblical events.

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Souza and Catholicism: A Lifelong Reflection in Art

Souza and Picasso: Influence and Evolution

From his early years in Bombay to his rise in London, Souza saw Picasso as an artistic influence and a kindred spirit. The parallels were striking. Both were expelled from art institutions, briefly associated with the Communist Party, and deeply engaged with the written word. 

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Souza and Picasso: Influence and Evolution

Jamini Roy's Influence: A Critique by Shahid Suhrawardy on the First Exhibition of the Calcutta Group

On 17th March 1945, Shahid Suhrawardy, the art critic for the esteemed daily The Statesman, wrote a critique on the first exhibition of the Calcutta Group - a collective of eight young artists whose motto was that “Art should be international and inter-dependent”.

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Jamini Roy's Influence: A Critique by Shahid Suhrawardy on the First Exhibition of the Calcutta Group

Celebrating Craftsmanship: The Shared Legacy of Bhanu Athaiya and J.J. School of Art

As we trace Bhanu Athaiya’s creative journey back to her roots in Kolhapur, we uncover a fascinating commonality between her, M.V. Dhurandhar, and John Lockwood Kipling. All three artists celebrated the essence of Indian life and craftsmanship, particularly through their depictions of fakirs and artisans.

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Celebrating Craftsmanship: The Shared Legacy of Bhanu Athaiya and J.J. School of Art

Formation of the Calcutta Group - Anushtup Archives

The text translates pages from an article in Anushtup, a leftist journal that documents the beginnings of the Calcutta group and their Bombay affiliations via P.C. Joshi et al.

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Formation of the Calcutta Group - Anushtup Archives

Rathin Maitra’s American Sojourn: Chronicles of Art and Culture

Today, I will share a few words about my experiences in America with you all. Naturally, it is not possible to talk about everything related to this vast country in such a brief period of time.

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Rathin Maitra’s American Sojourn: Chronicles of Art and Culture
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