Jogen Chowdhury was born in Faridpur, Durgapur, West Bengal, India. He lives and works in Santiniketan. He is known for his ability to successfully marry traditional imagery with the zeitgeist of contemporary painting. His early works show an attention to figuration that carries through in his current pieces. In 1965, he went to Paris to study in Ecole des Beaux Arts and train in Graphic Art with Atelier 17. After his return from France in the late 1960’s, he developed his own individual style. Chowdhury maintains the necessity of a uniquely Indian approach to art, as opposed to the blind aping of the Western trends of installations. Although he has painted oils, his forte is painting in ink, water colour and pastel. In 1966, Chowdhury was awarded the Prix le France de la Jeune Peinture in Paris, and, in 1986, he received an award at the Second Biennale of Havana, Cuba. He was presented the Kalidas Samman by the Government of Madhya Pradesh in 2001.