Untitled (Nelson Mandela)

Somnath Hore

Somnath Hore’s initiation into woodcut and wood engraving techniques began during his third year in art school and emerged as a prevalent part of his early visual vocabulary. He achieved technical virtuosity very quickly and began to demonstrate themes addressing the Bengal Famine, mobilisation of rural workers, and those from everyday life. A pertinent aspect of his practice, which began in the 1940s and continued throughout his career, was his commitment to portraiture. Undertaking a more egalitarian approach, Hore’s portraits of the common man ranged from party workers, union leaders, agriculturalists and peasants reinstating the contributions made by everyday men that would otherwise have been lost in the annals of history.

Hore was deeply moved by individuals and leaders worldwide who dedicated their lives to shape and lead popular people’s movements and contributed to their freedom struggle. Captured in a three-quarter view is a portrait of a young man with a commanding presence, none other than a young Nelson Mandela, the future president of South Africa. Hore’s inclination to Mandela could have also been related to the latter’s involvement in the Communist party emerging as a comrade, and his leaning towards shared humanist ideals. Making use of thin and thick lines, marked with a passionate interplay of light and shadow, Hore recreates his identity marked by deep set eyes, full lips and cropped hair. Alluding to a sense of purpose, Mandela stands tall with a quiet confidence, announcing to the viewer the rightful place he occupies in this portrait.