Somnath Hore (1921–2006) was born in Chittagong (now in Bangladesh) and trained at the Government College of Art and Craft in Kolkata. Deeply influenced by the Bengal Famine of 1943 and the Tebhaga movement, his practice remained rooted in a profound engagement with human suffering and social history throughout his career.

Working across printmaking, sculpture, and drawing, Hore developed a highly distilled visual language, culminating in his celebrated Wounds series, where he pioneered paper-pulp prints to evoke the physical and psychological scars of violence. His pared-down forms and tactile surfaces convey remarkable emotional intensity while remaining formally restrained.

He is regarded as one of India's foremost printmakers and sculptors, whose work transformed personal and collective trauma into one of the most powerful humanitarian statements in modern Indian art.