NGMA to organise virtual tour to mark Ramkinkar Baij’s 115th birth anniversary

News: The Ministry of Culture’s National Gallery of Modern Art will organise a virtual tour to commemorate the 115th Birth Anniversary of Ramkinkar Baij.

Facts:

• Ramkinkar Baij(1906-1980) was an iconic sculptor, painter and a graphic artist.
• He studied at Kala Bhavana, the art school at Santiniketan and was under the guidance of Nandalal Bose.
• He along with Nandalal Bose and Benodebehari Mukherjee played a pivotal role in making Santiniketan one of the most important centres for modern art in pre-Independent India.
• He assimilated the idioms of the European modern visual language and yet was rooted in his own Indian ethos.He also introduced cement concrete casting as an alternative to expensive plaster.
• He integrated elements of Santhal tribal art and life into his own work and enhanced them by understanding of Western expressionism.
• Recognition:
  • In 1970, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan.
  • In 1976, he was made a Fellow of the Lalit Kala Akademi.