1. DEVI PRASAD ROY CHOWDHURY
AN ARTIST OF MANY COLOURS
(1899 -1975)
IMPORTANT SCULPTOR OF 20TH CENTURY ,INDIA

2. SIR DEVI PRASAD (1899-1975) WAS BORN IN RANGPUR. HE HAD HIS EARLY
EDUCATION AT HOME BUT ALSO STUDIED LIFE DRAWING AND POTRAITS
UNDER AN ITALIAN PAINTER ‘ E.BOYESS ‘ .
HE LEARNT PAINTING FROM SIR AVNINDRANATH TAGORE.
HE PRODUCED PAINTINGS WHICH WERE A MIXTER OF CHINESE
TECHNIQUE, JAPANESE WASH PROCESS AND HIS OWN SCRATCHING
METHOD .
BUT HIS EARLY PAINTINGS HAD INFLUENCE OF HIS TEACHER ,
AVNINDRANATH TAGORE.
THE REALISTIC STYLE… WAS REFLECTING IN HIS PAINTINGS.

3. HE LEARNT SCULPTING FROM HIROMONY CHOWDHURY.
HE VISITED ITALY FOR FURTHER LEARNING. THIS IS WHEN HE GAVE UP THE INFLUENCE
OF BENGAL SCHOOL AND ADOPTED THE WESTERN TECHNIQUES.
HE BROUGHT WESTERN ELEMENTS IN HIS WORK.
HE MADE MONUMENTAL AND LIFE-SIZE SCULPTURES.
HE WAS THE FIRST BENGALI ARTIST TO INTRODUCE WORK IN BRONZE.
A COMBINATION OF WESTERN AND INDIAN STYLE IS CLEARLY SEEN IN HIS PAINTINGS
ALSO. WHILE THE COLOURS AND TECHINIQUES ARE WESTERN , THE THEMES ARE PURELY
INDIAN.
SO, BESIDES PAINTING HE ALSO PRACTICED SCULPTING REGULARLY.

4. HE WORKED AT THE ORIENTAL SCHOOL OF ART AFTER HIS STUDIES WERE
COMPLETED. THE SCHOOL IS SITUATED IN CALCUTTA . HE SERVED THERE
AS A TEACHER FOR NOT LESS THAN TWENTY EIGHT YEARS.

5. DURING WHICH HE MOVED TO MADRAS.
HE SERVED AS THE HEAD OF DEPARTMENT FOR THE ‘ GOVERNMENT COLLEGE OF
ARTS AND CRAFTS , MADRAS.’ ( 1928-1958)
HE HAS TAUGHT STUDENTS LIKE PARITOSH SEN , NIRODE MAJUMDAR,
PRODOSH DAS GUPTA - THE INITIATORS OF CALCUTTA GROUP.
ANOTHER STUDENT WHICH BECAME WELL-KNOWN LATER IS GOPAL SEN.
THESE STUDENTS ARE ALSO INTERNATIONALLY REPUTED.
HE CREATED NUMEROUS SCULPTURES DURING HIS JOB TOO.
DURING THIS IN 1937,
THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HONOURED HIM , AS THE MOST EXALTED MEMBER
OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE. (M.B.E)

6. ROY CHOWDHURY’S DRAMATIC PAINTINGS
SOME OF HIS NOTEWORTHY WORKS ARE :
• AN INMATE OF HAREM
• RAASLEELA
• MA
• THE TRIBUNE
• THE MAN WITH A LARGE CLOAK AND A HAT
• SHARAD PRATIMA
• JIBAN SANDHYA
• SURER NESHI
• GADI
WHERE,THE WESTERN MODE OF PERSPECTIVE STYLE AND COMPOSITION MADE
HIS WORK RHYTHMIC AND AT THE SAME TIME FULL OF EXCELLENCE AND BEAUTY.

7. FEW OF HIS WORKS IN DETAIL
AN INMATE OF THE HAREM
Material: PENCIL, INK & WATERCOLOUR. ON PLAIN
PAPER.
Measurement : 23cm(H) , 31cm(W)
RAS LEELA
Material: PENCIL, WATERCOLOUR. ON
PLAIN PAPER.

8. A DRAMATIC POSE OF A MAN IN A LARGE CLOAK
AND HAT
THE TRIBUNE

9. ROY CHOWDHURY’S SCULPTURES ..
• THE TRIUMPH OF LABOUR , HOUSED IN DELHI.
• SHAHID SMRITI, PLACED IN FRONT OF BIHAR SECRETARY.
• TEMPLE ENTRY PROCLAMATION , TRIBANDRUM.
• GANDHIJI’S DANDI OBHIJAN, AT CALCUTTA.
• SIR ASHUTOSH
HE CHOSE HIS FIGURES FROM THE CROWD ON STREETS.
HE MINGLED FREELY AMONG MEN AND WOMEN OF A LESS ADVANTAGED CLASS IN
PREFERENCE TO THE STUDIO MODELS.
CHOWDHURY’S RANGE OF SCULPTURES INCLUDED LIFE SIZED STATUES AND
LARGER THAN LIFE SIZE WORKS.

10. THE TRIUMPH OF LABOUR
(NATIONAL GALLERY OF MODERN
ART, NEW DELHI)
PERFECT STUDY OF LABOUR BODY
THE LABOURERS ARE SHOWN PUTTING
PRESSURE ON THE HARD ROCK.
THE GREAT SENSE OF DEVI PRASAD ROY’S
OBSERVATION IS CLEARLY EVIDENT IN HIS WORK.
WINTER
THE WORK IS DONE IN BRONZE.
(54 X 40.5 X 54 CM )

11. SHAHID SMARAK
MARTYR'S MEMORIAL PATNA
THIS IS A MEMORIAL TO SEVEN
FREEDOM FIGHTERS WHO SACRIFICED
THEIR LIVES FOR THE QUIT INDIA
MOVEMENT IN 1942.
GANDHIJI’S DANDI OBHIYAN
THIS MASSIVE BLACK SCULPTURE IS SHEER
POETRY IN STONE, DEPICTS THE FAMOUS
DANDI MARCH LED BY MAHATMA GANDHI
IN 1931, AGAINST OPPRESSIVE SALT
TAXES IMPOSED BY THE BRITISH REGIME.
THIS SCULPTURE IS LOCATED OUTSIDE
PRESIDENT HOUSE ,DELHI .

12. EXHIBITIONS
• 1933-34 FIRST SOLO SHOW, CALCUTTA. 1989 RETROSPECTIVE,
• BIRLA ACADEMY OF ART AND CULTURE, CALCUTTA. 2003
• MANIFESTATIONS, ORGANISED BY DELHI ART GALLERY,
• WORLD TRADE CENTER, MUMBAI AND DELHI ART GALLERY, NEW DELHI.
• 2004 MANIFESTATIONS II, ORGANISED BY DELHI ART GALLERY, JEHANGIR ART GALLERY,
• MUMBAI AND DELHI ART GALLERY, NEW DELHI. 2005 MANIFESTATIONS III, ORGANISED
BY DELHI ART GALLERY, NEHRU CENTER, MUMBAI AND
• LALIT KALA AKADEMI, NEW DELHI.
COLLECTION
• BIRLA ACADEMY OF ART AND CULTURE, CALCUTTA.
• LALIT KALA AKADEMI, NEW DELHI.
• MADRAS MUSEUM, MADRAS,
• NATIONAL GALLERY OF MODERN ART, NEW DELHI.
• SRICHITRALAYAM AND JAGMOHAN PALACE SALAR
JUNG MUSEUM, HYDERABAD.
• TRAVANCORE ART GALLERY, KERALA.
• DELHI ART GALLERY, NEW DELHI.

13. THANK YOU FOR YOUR
TIME AND CONSIDERATION
Dipak Kumar Singh
MVA