Born in 1894, in what is now Bangladesh, Hemendranath Mazumdar was a distinguished artist known for his fine treatment of pastels, watercolours and chalk and his accomplished treatment in the handling of oil colours. He has made excellent works portraying women though most famous are the ones where he has shown women draped in diaphanous cloth or in bathing scene. Although he worked in the European academic style, Hemendranath was a close associate of Abanindranath Tagore but was never won over by the ideals of the Neo-Bengal School that the Tagores founded.

After studying for a while in the Government School of Art in Kolkata, Mazumdar and other students were not convinced with revivalism taught in the school. They formed the Jubilee Art Academy to voice their displeasure with the revivalists. His paintings was also awarded the first prize by the Society of Fine Arts in Kolkata. He was one of the few Indian artists of the early twentieth century who enjoyed both monetary success and critical appreciation. In 1929, Mazumdar founded the `Indian Academy of Art` at his own residence in Kolkata. Renowned artists like Bhabani Charan Laha, Jogesh Chandra Seal, Jamini Roy and Atul Bose were actively involved in the Academy`s activities. The academy`s first tri-monthly journal was published in 1920, introducing upcoming artists and printing reproductions of their work in full colour. The journal also published serious essays on contemporary art by various artists. Hemendranath Mazumdar also published picture-album called `Indian Masters,` in which the paintings of almost all the important artists selected from all over the subcontinent were reproduced. He also served Maharaja of Kashmir and Patiala

In 1931, he was invited by the Maharaja of Kashmir to work in the palace, and later Hemendranath Mazumdar was officially appointed `Court Painter` of the Maharaja of Patiala. He was also invited to paint murals in the All India Exhibition in 1947.