Important Notice

A Ramachandran’s sculptures encapsulate his childhood memories of Kerala, particularly his visits to the Krishnaswamy temple in Attingal. They reflect the profound visual and emotional experience of “the deafening sound of bells, drums and the nagaswarams echoing and re-echoing in the corridors… and flowers vaguely discernible in the light of the oil lamps and the chanting of the people around eagerly straining their necks to catch a... A Ramachandran’s sculptures encapsulate his childhood memories of Kerala, particularly his visits to the Krishnaswamy temple in Attingal. They reflect the profound visual and emotional experience of “the deafening sound of bells, drums and the nagaswarams echoing and re-echoing in the corridors… and flowers vaguely discernible in the light of the oil lamps and the chanting of the people around eagerly straining their necks to catch a glimpse of the god…” (Artist quoted from Prologue in Art of the Muralist in Rupika Chawla, Ramachandran: Icons of the Raw Earth, Bangalore: Kala Yatra, 1999, p. 121)

In Santiniketan, where he studied in 1957, Ramachandran witnessed the diverse artistry of his mentors-Nandalal Bose, Benode Behari Mukherjee, and Ramkinkar Baij. He closely observed Baij’s process and his guidance influenced the artist’s own sculptural projects. The structure of the sculpture took precedence, followed by meticulous attention to detail. A vertical metal rod was connected to a surface, and patterns and details added later.

Temple elements such as the awe-inspiring dvarapalakas, towering flagstaffs, kurma, and the inner shrine icon, fascinated Ramachandran. His slender bronze sculptures draw inspiration from the ones at the Panayannarkavu temple, particularly the nagaraja pillar. He also incorporated elements from the features of the Bhil women of Rajasthan, whom he frequently observed and portrayed in his work. His compositions, such as the present lot, depict idealized and iconic figures, like an apsara or water nymph emerging from a pond. “Naked, except for her heavy ornaments, and with her sexuality underscored by the lotus buds gathered against her genitals with both hands she emphatically carries forward the traditional iconography of the yakshi that can be traced back at least to the 1st century B.C., and can be accordingly read as a symbol of fecundity, of the female body in bloom. With the lotus pond growing from beneath her legs and climbing up her bac k to the level of her head, the sculpture presents a sensuous girl from the front and a lugubrious plant from behind.” (R Siva Kumar, A Ramachandran: A Retrospective - Volume II, New Delhi: Vadehra Art Gallery, 2003, p. 195)

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