Founded by the Progressive Painters' Association of Madras in 1944 under the initiative of K. C. S. Paniker and Professor Josef James, Artrends Bulletin published its first edition in October 1961. The bulletin was a crucial platform for the group, publishing articles on Indian and international contemporary art, and providing a record of a significant period in Indian art history.

Supporting and publicising the activities of the Progressive Painters' Association (PPA) and later the Cholamandal Artists' Village, it played a key role in shaping post-independence Indian art and acted as a platform for emerging artists and modernist ideas during the 1950s–70s.