Sushil Sen

Versatile and vibrant, Sushil Sen’s (1909-1972) style ranged from romantic idealism to the life of a common man and everyday visuals, while confronting socio-political problems. Sen had completed his art education at the Government College of Art and Craft in Calcutta, India. After a few years, he was appointed as a lecturer, and later Vice-Principal, at his alma mater from where he switched to the Delhi Polytechnic. 

Sen was an exceptional watercolourist, apart from being renowned for oil, pencil and crayon paintings. Inspired by the practice of the 1920s, Sen and the entire art community reflected the horrors of the first World War and the solidarity that came along with it. The eerie atmosphere is relevant to a lot of artists of Sen's period. Influenced by Marxist values, it was a period of a lot of political changes all over the world.

Sen was greatly inspired by the works of Mukul Dey, the first principal of the Government College of Art and Craft in Calcutta. Dey’s gracefully drawn illustrations of the Bengal villages as a persistent theme was particularly followed by Sen. He painted a lot of common scenarios like riversides and landscapes, intimate scenes from households, religious as well as social functions. Notably, his paintings evoke a serene sentiment, while his craftsmanship is immaculate, precise and exceptionally aesthetic!

Sen had a wide audience for his exhibitions both locally and globally. Exhibiting at diverse locations, he had shown his work at Kabul as well as the United States. A great mural at the Rajya Sabha, depicting King Mahameghavahana's Jaina Council, which was held at Udayagiri, was painted by Sen. Sen was associated with multiple government-owned art galleries during his lifetime. His works are collected by the Academy of Fine Art,  Kolkata.