Surendranath Kar was born in Bihar in 1892. He took to art at the suggestion of Abanindranath Tagore whom he visited with his cousin Nandalal Bose. He learnt elementary drawing from both Abanindranath and Nandalal. In 1915, when the Vichitra club was organised, Surendranath worked as a teacher of painting with other artists. He also helped to organise the club's activities. In 1917, Rabindranath asked Surendranath to join the Brahmacharyasrama as an art teacher. In 1919, when Kala- Bhavana was instituted, Surendranath joined the faculty.
A frequent companion in Rabindranath's travels, Surendranath had exposure to the best of the West and the East and he consciously absorbed what was beautiful or useful and on his return to Santiniketan, applied it to the life there, adding new dimensions. Architecture was Surendranath's forte, and he will be remembered as one who evolved a completely Indian style of architecture, yet embodying various styles from allover the world.
