The solo exhibition of Sankho Chaudhuri, who gave a new dimension to modern Indian sculpture, started on 12 March 2025 at the Vadehra Art Gallery in Delhi and will continue till 9th April 2025. After achieving a position in figurative sculpture, Sankho Chaudhuri moved toward abstraction. In steel and bronze, he created human forms and bird shapes by cutting and folding sheets, some of which are included in this exhibition. Some of his stone sculptures and portraits are also included in the exhibition. In the last years of his art practice, he moved towards simplification of shapes and created such sculptures which were not imagined earlier. Apart from the awards he received, his creative achievements are more important.
One
of India’s foremost sculptors, Sankho Chaudhuri’s work is an important key in
the evolution of modern, abstract sculpture in the country, breaking away from
traditional figuration and mid-Victorian academic naturalism.
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| Kosal Kumar and Angelica Basak |
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| Kosal Kumar, Ira Chaudhuri and Dr. Ved Prakash Bhardwaj in the show Born
on 15 February 1916 in Santhal Pargana in present-day Jharkhand, Chaudhuri
obtained his bachelor’s in art and a diploma in sculpture, both from
Santiniketan, in 1939 and 1945, respectively. He was a student of the renowned
sculptor Ramkinkar Baij, known for using unconventional materials such as
cement for making sculptures. Accompanying Baij on a trip to Nepal to execute a
war memorial, Chaudhuri learnt Nepali metal casting. In 1949, he went on a
study tour of Europe, visiting art centres in England, France, Italy,
Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands.   |
Chaudhuri
is best known for his simple, flowing sculptures. He has constantly
experimented with material, using clay, terracotta, plaster, cement, stone,
wood, copper, brass, and aluminium. His sculptures often consist of entwined
forms that create a harmonious rhythm in their balanced stances. Clear lines
accentuate the form in his work.
He
received the Lalit Kala Akademi’s national award in 1956 and the Lalit Kala
Ratna honour in 2004. He was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1971. Some of his
well-known works are Music for All India Radio in 1957, bronze statues of
Mahatma Gandhi exhibited in Rio de Janeiro in 1964 and Copenhagen in 1986,
among others. He passed away in New Delhi on 28 August 2006.
‘What
makes an artist is his ability to respond to life in all its forms and at every
level.’
“It
is the playfulness while exploring the possibilities of one given medium that
fascinates me. But enjoyment or reactions to a given medium or style can never
be static, or else it would soon turn the artist into a fossil.”
Dr. Ved Prakash Bhardwaj
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