A life of creativity: celebrating the works of sculptor Padmashri Dhanraj Bhagat

The National Gallery of Modern Art features a comprehensive exhibition on this award-winning sculptor; his 100^th birth anniversary was marked last year.

PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In the earlier 200 posts, we featured an art festival, cartoon gallery. world music festival, telecom expo, millets fair, climate change expo, wildlife conference, startup festival, Diwali rangoli, and jazz festival.

The National Gallery of Modern Art in Bengaluru is hosting an exhibition this month titled ‘Journey from the Physical to the Spiritual,’ featuring the works of eminent sculptor Padmashri Dhanraj Bhagat. He was born in 1917 in Lahore, became the head of sculpture at the College of Art in New Delhi, and won acclaim as a major force in modern Indian sculpture.

As show in this photo essay, his style reflects a unique blend of Indian heritage and Western artistic traditions, across materials such as wood, metal, terracotta, paper pulp, stone, and fibre glass. In his later years, despite the effects of old age, he continued to produce works of art but switched to drawings and paintings.

Titles of the exhibited pieces include Spirit of Work, Cry, Mahakala, Musician, Dual Personality, Cosmic Energy, Shiva Dance, Burden, Family Horse, and Musical Construction, and reflect themes ranging from the romantic to the geometric.

Now what have you done today to absorb the influences around you and leave your unique mark on society?

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