Man Kneeling on the Floor, Figurative, Dry Pastel on Paper

Medium	:	Dry Pastel
Height	:	19 inch / 48.3 cm
Width	:	28 inch / 71.1 cm
Dimension	:	W: 71.1 cm × H: 48.3 cm

Medium

Dry Pastel

Height

19 inch / 48.3 cm

Width

28 inch / 71.1 cm

Dimension

W: 71.1 cm × H: 48.3 cm

Description

Jogen Chowdhury | Man Kneeling on the Floor | Dry Pastel on Paper | 19 x 28 inches | 2006

This evocative 2006 painting by Jogen Chowdhury, titled Man Kneeling on the Floor, is a deeply introspective work rendered in dry pastel on paper. The composition depicts a solitary nude figure curled into a fetal-like position, embodying a sense of vulnerability, introspection, and retreat into the self. Chowdhury’s use of soft tonal shades and delicate contour lines enhances the emotional depth of the image, while the subdued palette emphasizes the quiet tension within the figure’s form. The elongated limbs and the tightly folded posture create a sculptural rhythm, evoking both confinement and protection. The face, calm yet withdrawn, suggests meditation or emotional exhaustion, making the artwork a poignant reflection on human fragility and inner turmoil. In this piece, Chowdhury masterfully combines anatomical precision with psychological nuance, transforming a simple pose into a powerful statement on the human condition.

Born on 15 February, 1939 in Faridpur (now in Bangladesh), Jogen Chowdhury’s family moved to Calcutta following the partition.
Chowdhury studied art at the Government College of Art and Crafts, Calcutta, and subsequently at École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris. A student of Prodosh Das Gupta, Chowdhury worked in the expressionist style of figuration in his early years. He created his own gallery of the grotesque, featuring lewd men with bellies like sacks and women with loose, hanging breasts. The Paris sojourn sharpened his creative thought process, helping in the evolution of his distinctive personal style.

Chowdhury interprets the human form through the x-ray vision of his creativity: attenuated, exaggerated, fragmented, reconfigured, and rephrased. For Chowdhury, the body has to communicate in silence. Often placing his figures against a vacant background, he does not appropriate the specificity of place or environment; instead, he transfers feelings of anguish on to his figures through gestural mark-making. His dense, crosshatched lines simulate body hair and a web of veins takes away the smooth sensuality of the classical body to manifest the textures of life.
Chowdhury believes art in India is neither subsumed in the miniature traditions nor in those of Ajanta, for India is neither a monolith nor a static entity; and that a notion of Indianness should not be fixed into some kind of timeless loop. He has been awarded the Madhya Pradesh government’s Kalidas Samman, and was honoured at the 2nd Havana Biennale. He lives and works in Kolkata and Santiniketan.

Shipment DetailsThis artwork will be shipped unframed, either in roll form or flat, depending on its requirements—at no additional cost.

If you’d prefer the artwork to arrive ready to hang, please get in touch with us to arrange framing and shipping at applicable charges.

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