A sculptor in whose hands stone turned into clay

September 25, 2016 12:00 am | Updated November 01, 2016 08:51 pm IST - CHENNAI:

Dakshinamurthy was one of the leading figures of the Madras Art Movement

C. Dakshinamurthy

C. Dakshinamurthy

Sculptor and painter C. Dakshinamurthy, one of the leading figures of the Madras Art Movement in the 1960s, died in Chennai. He was 73, and is survived by his wife, a son, and a daughter.

“He was a contemporary stone sculptor with native sensibilities. His works encompassed the ancient and the modern. He approached his work with emotion and has never been calculative,” said R.M. Palaniappan, secretary of the Lalit Kala Akademi, where Dakshinamurthy worked many years.

He studied painting at the Madras School of Art, now known as Government College of Fine Arts, but turned his attention to the field of ceramic, terracotta and later, stone, with sterling felicity and had a tremendous influence on generations of painters and sculptors. Dakshinamurthy also taught in the College of Fine Arts.

“Though he was student of Dhanapal, Panikkar, Santhana Raj and Munusamy, the four great teachers at the Madras School of Art, he came under the influence of the Dhanapal,” said artist Aparajita, and son of late painter Adimoolam, who studied with Dakshinamurthy.

Mr. Palaniappan said Dakshinamurthy worked continuously, and the stone became almost like clay in his hands. “While he created women with grace, they also manifested bold features and their facial expressions radiated with brilliance.”

It was he who had popularised stone sculpture in the Bombay art scene, gently shifting the focus from marble.

His batch mates were K.Adimoolam, R.B. Bhaskaran, S.G. Vasudev, V. Viswanadhan and Haridasan, who created a special place in the art world and together, they founded the Cholamandalam Arts Village in Chennai.

He was also instrumental in artists from South India getting recognition in Delhi and he personally ensured that many of them got scholarships when he was working for the Lalit Kala Akademi. “He organised a lot of exhibitions and in the process helped young artists,” said Mr Palaniappan.

Though born in Gudiyatham, Dakshinamurthy spent his life mostly in Chennai. “He cherished the freedom of the modern city and democratic education and never seemed to be nostalgic about his hometown,” said Mr. Aparajita.

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