5. Determine the place of Ramkinkar in the field of contemporary sculpture.
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Answer:
Born into a poor barber’s family in Bengal’s Bankura district, Ramkinkar Baij is considered to be the “Father of Modern Indian sculpture”. His tryst with art began at a young age; he would emulate the local idol maker (Ananta Sutradhar), sketching and making sculptures out of the red soil that was so abundant in Bankura. His talent caught the eye of eminent journalist and editor of ‘Prabasi’ and ‘Modern Review’, Ramananda Chattopadhyay who referred Baij to Kala Bhavan at Shantiniketan.
Tagore and Nandalal Bose were quick to recognize Baij’s talent, and his natural affinity towards sculpting.
A non-conformist by nature, Baij defied all the accepted rules that governed art and instead focused on intuition as his main driving force. While his contemporaries stuck to old ideals of a rigid system, Ramkinkar burst out of this shell and innovated and experimented. Baij’s experiments would go on to break new ground, paving the way for 20th century sculptors.