Somnath Hore Somnath
Hore was born in 1921 in the village of Barama in Chittagong, now in Bangladesh. At a very
early age, Hore started making posters for the Communist Party. It was at the instance of
the party leader P C Joshi that Hore was admitted to the Government College of Art &
Craft.
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.
A lifetime of inventive experiments with etching, intaglio and
lithographs culminated in the abstract while on while Wounds series in 1971. Dramatized
with a spot of red, the white on white prints reflected the political turbulence of the
times. Prints were taken with paper pulp pressed on molded cement matiices. The moulds
were made from originals done in clay.
Hore began doing bronze sculptures from 1974 onwards. One of his largest
sculptures Mother with Child that paid homage to the spirit of the people's struggle in
Vietnam was stolen from the Kala Bhavan soon after it was fmished and disappeared without
a trace.
Hore's figuration has always reflected the anguished human body. His
sculpture is no different but the imprint of the hand of the creator is more startlingly
manifest in his sculptures. The torn and rugged surfaces, rough planes with slits and
holes, subtle modeling and axial shifts, exposed channels, all make for exciting visual
and tactile sculptures.
