Untitled (Stone Quarrying and Studies for Yaksha-Yakshi)

Ramkinkar Baij is one of the most important modernist artists of the twentieth century. He made sketches, paintings, etchings and drawings, but is perhaps best known for the sculptures he developed at Kala Bhavana, which was the fine arts department of Visva-Bharati University, established by the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. He learned from artists like Nandalal Bose and later became a member of the faculty himself. One of his major public works was the twin Yaksha-Yakshi statues that were commissioned by the board of the Reserve Bank of India (in consultation with an expert committee), and they now stand outside its building in New Delhi. In preparation for this work, Baij made several sketches and tours to find the right material, such as sandstone from the Kangra Valley. This etching shows one of his preparatory sketches, swiftly delineating the chaotic activity that surrounds the work of quarrying for stone. These etchings are valuable records of his process, and they communicate his organic approach to making art out of the natural matter of his surroundings.