Nandalal Basu is one of the pioneers in the history of Bengali art for the revolutionary concepts he initiated in the cultural and artistic space of Bengal. In spite of being more fluent in painting Nandalal’s contribution to sculpture is remarkable. In all his sculptures – whether it is “Chaiti” [the hut in Shantiniketan] or an entire village [the plan for the Kamarpukur temple] Nandalal breaks down the conventional notion that the concrete density of sculpture acts as an obstacle in the process of being a narrative art.[painting for instance]This article attempts to chart the narrative quality of sculpture as is evident in the works of many of his disciples.
 
Bikash Debnath [1941-99]:
 
A stay in the rugged red landscape of Birbhum district [in West Bengal] inspired Bikash Debnath to break free of the traditional teachings of Art College in the ‘60s. As professor in the sculpting section of “Kalbhana” in Vishwa Bharati he broke new grounds in sculpture by infusing the landscape and consequently a narrative quality of story-telling in his works. His outstanding works include the frame where a pitcher is placed inside a bamboo habitation in a moon lit night. The use of “patina” and “barf” to infuse the sense of light and shadow is expressive of outstanding attention to details as well as artistic genius which is evident in his other works like the one where a hurricane focuses on a row of ants, the torch light that condenses on metal, rows of boats, with sails and the most stunning of all the frame where the reflection of a landscape on the water becomes a sculpture of the landscape itself from a directionally opposite point of view- and all with the medium of soil.
 
Meera Mukherjee [1923-96]:
 
An intense passion for art infuses Meera Mukherjee’s works – from the 12 feet statue of Samrat Ashoka to the numerous other works about nature. This passion blends the hard metal to the state of soft feelings and celebrates the spirit of physical activity in the natural space by breaking out the geometric convention about form in contemporary sculpture -attacking considerable amount of adverse criticism in the process.
 
Gopinath Roy [1953-]
 
Like Bikash Debnath, the turning point in Gopi’s life comes with the contact of a terrific natural landscape – the pine smirched seascape of Shankarpur. This enables him to move beyond the conventional – “shepherd-boat-bullock cart” line of sculpting and create instead a landscape of motion – a moving train created by the careful configuration of metallic pieces and chords. His most stunning “work” is, however, the one where lunar shaped metal pallets “write” moonlight on the wooden platform. Gopi’s medium also reflect a contemporary sensibility as he is preferred to use anything – from the conventional wood, pastel, metal to any material that can be found form the elements of everyday life.

 

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