Howrah Bridge exercises its magnetic pull on artists of new generation

The wrestling fences, the orderly commotion around the bridge, among other activities make it a perfect subject

Artist Jogen Chowdhury, known for works that blend urban consciousness and Bengali influence, recalls his brush with Howrah Bridge some three decades ago. He had been asked to make a sketch to depict Kolkata for The Illustrated Weekly of India. Chowdhury knew it would have to be Howrah Bridge, but there wasn’t enough time to acquaint himself with the details of the structure. So he recreated the icon from memory. In any case, says Chowdhury, an accurate depiction of Howrah Bridge would be a somewhat unrealistic task. “There are thousands of nut and bolts, it would take years to capture Howrah Bridge with all its details,” says Chowdhury.

Artist Jogen Chowdhury says, ‘It would take years to capture Howrah Bridge with all its details’

For Suvaprasanna, it’s the life around Howrah Bridge in all its hues that is invigorating for an artist. The wrestling fences, the bathing and washing on the banks of the river, the stealthy lot of marijuana smokers and the orderly commotion around the bridge make it a perfect subject. He is of the opinion that this essence of the bridge and its surroundings have not changed in the last 75 years. “Some aspects of Kolkata have not changed in a very long time. Howrah Bridge is one of them,” says Suvaprasanna.

Howrah Bridge exercises its magnetic pull on artists of the new generation as well. In one of his recent works, Amit Kapoor, country head of the International Watercolor Society of India and assistant professor at the College of Art, Delhi, depicted an aerial view of the bridge (pictured on top). Although, it took him only 45-odd minutes to paint the bridge as seen from Howrah station, he counts this as one of his best works.