The tall bronze statue of Kengal Hanumanthaiah behind the Vidhana Soudha commands attention. So do the bust of Vikram Sarabhai at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and the 10-foot mythological Yaksha/Yakshi sculptures at the entrance to the Chitrakala Parishat (CKP).
They all have a signature style that reveals the identity of their sculptor: Kanayi Kunhiraman. In recognition of his work, the Kasaragod-based artist will be conferred the first ‘Prof. M.S. Nanjunda Rao National Award for Art’ at CKP on Wednesday.
His major contribution to Indian art, according to senior artists, is perceiving public sculptures as part of landscaping architecture. “While he themed his sculptures to be part of a larger public space or garden, even his broad sculpture-pedestals were practical, allowing people to go around or sit on them. Most of his group sculptures that are tall also provide shade for people,” said H.A. Anil Kumar, head of the department of art history at CKP.
Mr. Kunhiraman said it was an honour to receive the award as his 80th birthday gift. “After all, CKP’s sculpture department has brought in maximum visibility to this form of art by producing nearly three dozen sculptor artists amongst the national players. My association with CKP and Bengaluru goes back more than five decades,” said Mr. Kunhiraman, who was also the first to receive the Raja Ravi Varma National Award for Art, the first to be part of the International Sculpture Camp at Patiala, and among the first to see a book on his sculpture art being published by the Central Lalithakala Academy, New Delhi, in 2008.
Mr. Kunhiraman, who bagged a British Commonwealth Scholarship and studied at the Slade School of Fine Art in London, deals with his art in such a way that people can easily relate to it, said M.J. Kamalakshi, general secretary, CKP.
The Hanumanthaiah statue at Vidhana Soudha is as an example of Mr. Kunhiraman’s emphasis on bringing out persona in his art. According to art historians, the original statue was of Hanumanthaiah in standing position with a miniature Vidhana Soudha in his hand. But it was replaced with the grand bronze statue.
