A study of modern Indian sculptures in the collection of the government museum and art gallery Chandigarh

Abstract

In this research I have undertaken an artist wise chronological study of the modern sculptures in the museum collection and examining the patterns of acquisition A number of the works are by well-known sculptors about whom extensive information is available even as a number of sculptors represented in the collection are either not so well known or about whom there is not much literary and critical assessment available. Therefore, specific effort was on bringing forth detailed and extensive information on the latter group of artists in the collection. The endeavour was to present a detailed biographical account of each sculptor with emphasis on the various influences that have shaped the artist s style and a detailed discussion of the major stages of his/her stylistic development with an effort to specifically position the museum s object at a particular point in his/her stylistic development. While studying each work in the collection a detailed stylistic analysis was made and the question of dating, the date of acquisition of the objects have been addressed. This study has identified errors if any in recording of date, title and place of execution along with any discrepancy in name of artist of the works in museum s collection and corrected it. This study has revealed that though small in number the modern sculpture collection in the museum has a depth and richness that necessitates that it be explored further as that would add immensely to the knowledge about plastic arts in India in the modern period. newline