Untitled

Known primarily as a sculptor, Ramkinkar Baij’s paintings and drawings do him at least as much credit. From the first batch of students at the Kala Bhavana in Santiniketan, he stayed on as an influential teacher and a genius whose concrete sculptures at the campus mark the start of modern sculpture in the country. Baij’s ability to work in a hurry—a pre-requisite for setting concrete—influenced a similar ability to draw fast. In this drawing of a woman cradling her baby in her lap, Baij’s hurriedly executed lines denote a movement that was present just before the baby fell asleep, possibly on being rocked by its mother.