Somnath Hore was an Indian sculptor and printmaker. His sketches, sculptures and prints were a reaction to major historical crises and events of 20th century Bengal, such as the Bengal Famine of 1943 and the Tebhaga movement.
Background
Somnath Hore was born in 1921 in Chittagong, now in Bangladesh. He lost his father early and was schooled with the help of his uncle. In his youth he became affiliated with the Communist Party, and his socialist ideologies influenced the early phases of his artistic career. It was through the active patronage of the Communist Party of India that Hore gained entrance to the Government Art College in Calcutta. Haren Das was then presiding over the graphics department, and Hore had the advantage of learning from him.
In 1943 he did visual documentation and reporting of the Bengal famine for the Communist Party magazine Jannayuddha (People's War). His coming of age as an artist coincided with the 1946 peasant unrest in Bengal known as the Tebhaga movement. Hore became a follower of Chittaprosad Bhattacharya, the political propagandist and printmaker.
Education
Somenath Hore did reporting and visual documentation of Bengal famine for ‘Jannayuddha’ which was the Communist Party Magazine. The artist followed Chittaprosad Bhattacharya who was the printmaker and the political propagandist. He completed his diploma in Fine Arts in from Government College of Art and Craft in Kolkata.
Career
From 1954 onwards, Hore started experimenting significantly with the printmaking process. Between 1954 and 195 8, he was lecturer at Indian College of Art & Draughtsmanship in Calcutta. From 1958 to 1967, he held several posts such as in-charge of the graphic section of the Delhi College of Arts visiting professor of the M S University, Baroda and Vlsva Bharati, Santiniketan and head of the graphic art department of Kala Bhavan, Visva Bharati. He joined the Society of Contemporary Artists in 1960.