Jogen Chowdhury was born in a village near Kotalipara in the Faridpur district in what is now Bangladesh in 1939 Chowdhury entered the Government College of Art and Crafts in 1955 and graduated from the college in 1960 Chowdhury went to Paris and studied at Ecole des Beaux-Arts and in William Hayter's Atelier 17 He returned to India in 1967

In 1968, Jogen moved to Chennai as he completed his studies Jogen started working as a textile designer for the Madras Handloom Board His first book of poems was published in 1970 The same year he joined the Calcutta Painters Group In 1987, Chowdhury joined Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan as a professor of painting 

Jogen's use of colour and light, and his aptitude for depicting the essence of Indian culture, set his work apart The sinuous line contouring the flaccid figures, and the crosshatching to achieve tonal variations distinguish Chowdhury's paintings which show men and women in enigmatic situations with provocative gestures placed in a dark dream- space 

Although Chowdhury frequently addresses weighty topics like violence, poverty, and inequality, his art also has a spirit of possibility and hope that permeates it According to the artist, "I want my paintings to be like sunlight in the darkness"

Chowdhury has recently received a number of honorary recognitions, including the Padma Bhushan (2014) and the Padma Shri (2004) Jogen's work has been preserved in significant exhibitions all around the world, and in 2012, the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi honoured him with a solo retrospective

In 2019, Jogen exhibited all the artwork of his life that he had amassed concurrently and demonstrated at the Jogen Chowdhury Centre for Arts in Kolkata In his own words, he wants to spawn more curiosity in visual art and cultural activities The grand halls for art present a Centre that also has space for art residencies

Chowdhury lives and works in Santiniketan