Sculptor Venkatachalapathi breathes life into his work, says critic Shamsundar Bidarkundi
The Hindu
Using a distinct technique, sculptor Venkatachalapathi is able to breathe life into his sculptures and by capturing his life’s journey in words and pictures, he has produced a rare book, which is of great inspiration to several young artists, writer and critic Shamsundar Bidarkundi has said.
Using a distinct technique, sculptor Venkatachalapathi is able to breathe life into his sculptures and by capturing his life’s journey in words and pictures, he has produced a rare book, which is of great inspiration to several young artists, writer and critic Shamsundar Bidarkundi has said.
He was speaking at the re-release of Jakanachari award winner and sculptor Venkatachalapathi’s autobiography, Nanna Jeevana Shilpa (My life’s sculpture), at a programme organised by Kala Mandala in Dharwad on Wednesday.
Mr. Bidarkundi said that the reason why the sculptures of great personalities made by Venkatachalapathi looked life like is that he did a thorough study not only of the person but also of history before venturing into making the sculpture.
He said that Venkatachalapathi is a great artist because he chose to remain undeterred by the disarray in society and disorder in the government system and consequently, he has been able to bring out the beauty of humanity around him.
“He worked in a muddled system but came out of it when he found that his creative freedom is being restricted,” he said.
Mr. Bidarkundi said that the sculptor’s autobiography has extensively captured his childhood, village, his struggle, his success, the role of his mentors and friends and many more related issues, which can be of great inspiration to the younger generation.
He also stressed the need for patronage for art and artists, while emphasising the need for the rich to part with a portion of their earnings for patronising fine arts. He also urged the young fine arts students who were present to take lessons from the sculptor’s life to emerge as successful artists.
“We are judges and therefore, cannot act like Mughals of a bygone era ... the writ courts in the guise of doing justice cannot transcend the barriers of law,” the High Court of Karnataka observed while setting aside an order of a single judge, who in 2016 had extended the lease of a public premises allotted to a physically challenged person to 20 years contrary to 12-year period stipulated in the law.
The High Court of Karnataka on Monday declined to interfere, at present, in the investigation against a Bharatiya Janata Party worker, who is among the accused persons facing charges of circulating obscene clips, related to “morphed” images and videos clips related to Prajwal Revanna, former Hassan MP, in public domain through pen drives and other modes.
The 16th edition of Bhoomi Habba was held on June 8, at the Visthar campus. The festival drew a vibrant crowd who came together to celebrate eco-consciousness through a variety of engaging activities, creative workshops, panel discussions, interactive exhibits and performances, all centered around this year’s theme: “Save Water, Save Lives.”