Shri Jagmohan Chopra (1935–2013) was an Indian printmaker, painter and photographer who promoted printmaking in India. His contribution in this regard has been honoured by awarding him

Kala Ratna The Kala Ratna ( te, కళారత్న) earlier Hamsa Award, is a civilian honour of the Andhra Pradesh state are conferred annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh and is organised by the State Cultural Council and Department of Cultur ...

in 1988. He was chairman and later on President of

AIFACS The All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS) is an independent arts organisation in India, founded in Delhi in 1928. In the decade after Indian independence, many of its functions were transferred to three national academies: Lalit Kala ...

. His contributed to developing the activities of the Society in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders wi ...

and

Panchkula Panchkula (PKL) is a planned city and district headquarter in the Panchkula district, part of the Ambala division in Haryana, India. The origin of the name Panchkula came from the place where five irrigation canals meet. Panchkula establis ...

Education and career

Jagmohan Chopra was a student of the School of Art (Art Department) of Delhi Polytechnic, which became the independent

College of Art An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, including fine art – especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. Art schools can offer elementary, secondary, post-second ...

in the year 1964. After completing his National Diploma he was appointed as a lecturer in the College of Art, New Delhi. In the year 1976, he became Principal of the

Government College of Arts, Chandigarh The Government College of Arts, Chandigarh is an art institute in Chandigarh, India. Established in 1951 by SL Prashar, it offers professional education in art to students from over 68 years. This institute is one among the first three art instit ...

, and transformed that college into a successful learning centre of art.

Career

Shri Jagmohan Chopra was a well-known printmaker, painter and photographer who promoted printmaking in India. His contribution in this regard has been honored by awarding him '

" in 1988. He was a life member of the Society. He was chairman and later on President of

. He experimented with the process of

intaglio Intaglio, the process of cutting a design into a surface, may refer to: * Intaglio, a type of engraved gem or metal signet ring * Intaglio (printmaking), a group of printmaking techniques, including engraving and etching * Intaglio (rock art) * Int ...

on a cardboard plate by creating surfaces of different levels and textures. This process helped print-makers to experiment creatively. Zinc plates were either not available or very expensive to afford for emerging younger artists. He established an

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other type ...

press at his residence at Pusa Campus for graduated students and some senior artists. There he formed

Group 8 Group 8 may refer to: * Group 8 element, a series of elements in the Periodic Table * Group 8 Rugby League, a rugby league competition * Group 8 (Sweden), a feminist movement in Sweden * Group VIII, former nomenclature for the noble gas The no ...

– an association of working artists devoted to print making in order to promote print making. It gave successful results and print making was at its peak in the country. He had knowledge in various diverse subjects like

homeopathy Homeopathy or homoeopathy is a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine. It was conceived in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. Its practitioners, called homeopaths, believe that a substance that causes symptoms of a di ...

palmistry Palmistry is the pseudoscientific practice of fortune-telling through the study of the palm. Also known as palm reading, chiromancy, chirology or cheirology, the practice is found all over the world, with numerous cultural variations. Those who ...

, cooking, and photography. He took a keen interest in photography and added special sections in the all

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

exhibition of prints. He was a product of an art college at a time of economic troubles but was determined to go ahead and put whatever meager resources he could manage to establish his etching studio and for photography. He did not pursue the commercial side of the art profession and stayed true to his principles.

References

External links

Jagmohan Chopra Memorial Meeting
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chopra, Jagmohan 1935 births Indian printers Indian male painters 20th-century Indian photographers 2013 deaths 20th-century Indian painters Artists from Lahore Painters from Delhi Pakistani photographers Pakistani painters 20th-century Indian male artists