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| Ref No.: |
1175 |
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| Birth Year: |
1930 |
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| Profile: |
Widely known as Sudhir Khastagir, the artist had his initial training in fine arts at Santiniketan, where he was attending classes of intermediate arts (Humanities). Just before his final examination, Sudhir Khastagir was arrested for his alleged involvement in underground terrorist activities. After his release he got his admission to the Kala Bhavan to study fine art under Nandalal Bose (1929), where he also had his initiation in sculpture. Later, he went to Bombay to learn stone carving at the studio of the renowned sculptor Ganpat Kashinath Mahtre (1933).
Sudhir Khastagir distinguished himself in painting both in water colour and oil, and also in sculpture. His paintings show textured surface and robust linear rhythm, unlike the smooth tonalities of the Neo-Bengal School, a deliberate departure which he extended to his stone sculptures which were given rough surface. A prolific artist, Sudhir Khastagir did sculpture portraits of Rabindranath Tagore and Jawaharlal Nehru, and two of his full-length status of Gandhi (in plaster) at the Raj Bhawan in Lucknow and in Port Blair 9in cement) in the Andamans.
He began his career as the art teacher at the Scindia School in Gwalior (1934); after two years he joined the staff of the Doon School where he taught for 20 years. On a travelling fellowship offered by the Deutsch Academy of Munich he visited art institutions and museums in Europe (1937), and while having a solo show in London he met the renowned British sculptor Eric Gill. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, London (1937), and Government of India honoured him with Padmashri in 1958. He was prolific in painting and sculpting, wrote many serious articles in important journals in Bengali and English. He was a fine flute player and singer of Tagore's songs. |
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