Haren Das

Who was Haren Das?

Harendra Narayan Das, better known as Haren Das, was a highly respected artist in India who worked almost exclusively in printmaking mediums. His work included engravings, linocuts, etchings, and lithographs, though he is most remembered for the technical skill of his woodcuts and wood engravings.

Haren Das followed a tradition of wood engraving that developed in the bazaars of north Calcutta in the mid-19th century. His early academic training was received partially from Ramendranath Chakravorty, who had been influenced in color woodcut printing by the Japanese style of Ukiyo-e prints. Throughout his life Das perfected his woodcut and wood engraving techniques, sometimes producing multi-colored prints of enormous technical proficiency. Though Das created numerous etchings, aquatints, dry points and linocuts, he seldom ventured outside the realm of printmaking. Working during a time when fine art was equated with painting and sculpture, Haren Das was often criticized for working in what was then considered little more than a commercially oriented craft.