Decorative is not a term an art connoisseur would use to describe sculptor and printmaker Somnath Hore’s work. A prominent Indian socio-political artist in the post-Independence years, Hore’s art was a reaction to historical crises, events and natural disasters.
Born in Chittagong in 1921, the artist was deeply affected by what he witnessed during the Bengal famine in 1943, the Tebhaga peasant uprising in 1946-47, the Second World War and the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He documented human suffering without romanticising it and his work, a century later, serves as a window to that era.
In February 2022, his bronze sculpture titled Wild Boar was sold for ₹1.6 crore at the Pundoles auction. There has been a growing interest in Hore’s art since. Now, Mumbai-based auction house Prinseps is auctioning a collection to mark his centenary year.
Somnath Hore | Photo Credit: Jyoti Bhatt/Prinseps
Prinseps has been auctioning rare art, film collectibles and books since its inception in 2017. Previous auctions included artworks of Rathindranath Tagore, Bhanu Athaiya and Atul Bose, as well as collectibles from Wadia Movietone, the production company that backed some of India’s earliest films in the 1930s and ‘40s.
The artist travelled extensively in Bengal during the famine and the Tebhaga movement, returning with sketches and images that served as source material for paintings, sculptures, etchings, woodcut, lino cut and pulp print series in his later years. As Brijeshwari Kumari Gohil, vice president and curator at Prinseps, points out, “Somnath Hore’s works are considered to be the most expressive representation of the essence of wounded humanity.”
A double-sided work titled Hiroshima portrays an anguished human form on one side and on the other, shows a physical depiction of a wound as a deep gash.
Hiroshima; Wound by Somnath Hore | Photo Credit: Prinseps
Prinseps estimates ₹50,000 to ₹5lakh for several artworks in the 82-lot auction.
Auction highlights
Lot 42: Untitled portrait of a seated lady in a waiting stance, dated 1942.
Lot 46: The Wounds series that encapsulates his observations following the Bengal famine of 1943
Lot 77: A family in transit, dated 1996.
“Several artworks in this online auction,” says Gohil, “are previously unseen watercolours and prints. These have been collated over decades.”
Notable in this collection is a double-sided painting Seated Man, dated 1969; on the reverse is an abstract attributed to Benode Behari Mukherjee, recognised among the pioneers of Indian modern art. When Mukherjee lost his eyesight in 1969, Hore helped him continue his artistic journey.
Another striking watercolour portrait of a woman, dated 1992, spells personal despair. The woman in a seated position with her face buried in her arms, is painted in white, while bright hues envelop her.
Artwork titled Family by Somnath Hore | Photo Credit: Prinseps
The auction also includes lithographs and untitled temple series sketches that were inspired by the paintings and architecture of Ajanta Caves that enamoured Hore in his college days.
“We were amazed to see many of his artworks in impeccable condition,” says Gohil, adding “These pieces depict Hore’s artistic process and his emotional connect with the subject.”
Live bidding for this online auction commences on April 29, 10am and ends on April 30, 6pm.
