Bengali sculptor and printmaker Somnath Hore's work bears testimony to the social tragedies of the mid-20th century, particularly the Bengal Famine of 1943 and the peasant revolt of 1946. The helpless victims of these disasters and their suffering bodies became the dominant figures in his prints and sculptures.
At the Government College of Art and Craft in Calcutta, Hore learned the methods and nuances of printmaking, mainly lithography and intaglio.
A recipient of the Padma Bhushan Award, Somnath Hore was an influential teacher at Santiniketan.