Sailoz Mookherjea

D. P. Mookherjea was an Indian modernist who worked in an expressionist style and was deeply influenced by diverse artistic traditions. After graduation, he taught art and served as art director of the Imperial Tobacco Company before moving to Paris in 1937–38, where he was influenced by Henri Matisse. Working primarily in oil, Mookherjea developed an individual style distinct from his Indian contemporaries, drawing on Indian miniature traditions and the Paris School. His paintings often depicted lived realities and idyllic rural life within a contemporary urban imagination, while his later landscapes showed a gradual disintegration of form. An influential teacher, he taught at Sarada Ukil School of Art and Delhi Polytechnic. His works are held in major collections across India.