Sculpting his way through life

Wherever sculptor S. Radhakrishna goes with his artwork, his companions Musui and his alter ego, Maiya follow. Musui and Maiya are not Radhakrishna’s children, but he did create them... in bronze, like many of his other sculptures — a few of which have made their way to Hyderabad this time, at the eminent artist’s latest show, Figuring Out With Figures.

Radhakrishna’s work has bronze figures that can be as small as an inch, or extend to over a foot long. But all are modelled on his creations Musui and Maiya, who portray various characters — including Gods.  

The beginning
Radhakrishna is a pioneer in his field. Whether it was being one of the first sculptors to have a one-man show in Paris in 1993, or bring sculpting to the forefront of artforms in India, he has done it all.

But things weren’t that easy. From Kottayam, Kerala, this young boy made his way to Santiniketan in West Bengal. “When I was 18, I realised that I wanted to take up art seriously. And so I left to study at Santiniketan in 1974,” says Radhakrishna who was taught by Masters in the art world — sculptor Ramkinkar Baij and artist K.G. Subramanyan. Despite taking up painting as his subject, it was only in 1976 that he took up sculpting.

Sculpting the way
University life kept him busy for eight years but the real bolt was when he graduated and landed a fellowship in Delhi. “I was one of the five artists who got the fellowship with the Government of India in 1981. They gave me a studio, good money and accommodation, but it was for just a year. What would I do after... that worried me a lot,” he says. But slowly, one show after the other he made his way to the top, even going as far as Paris. “It was only after my show in Paris did people sit up and take notice of me... I needed to go abroad and show my work, to be recognised in my own country,” he says.

The change in life
For Radhakrishna, inspiration came in the form of a young boy, who went by the name Musui. “During my time at Santiniketan, I saw a boy begging for bread, but he was smiling and asking for it, and I was very surprised by it. So I took him to my studio to create a portrait of him. After I finished, I gave him a rupee but instead of getting something to eat, he shaved his head and came back to me so that I could do another painting. So I created a painting of his head, and when I was leaving Santiniketan I took it along. Over the years, it became my muse for the hundreds and thousands of Musui sculptures in my four-decade-long career,” he says, while adding, “I still have that portrait.”

In 1997, Maiya, Musui’s alter ego was born. “When Musui donned various roles, all of them were that of a man and I realised that he urgently needed his contemporary, and so Maiya was born,” he adds.

“I was in touch with Musui till he passed away in 2010. His smile — something all my sculptures have — has been engraved in my memory. I even made a bronze statue of Musui in Santiniketan.” he says.

Keep digging deeper
Radhakrishna has had his share of lows and he says, “I began digging in one place and stayed put until I found water. That is my advice to artists: When you are digging for water, don’t let a rock stop you. No matter how tough it is, keep digging... and you will eventually find water.”