Freehold: Sculptures by K. S. Radhakrishnan

In the Indian legacy of art expression the human figure is the primal source of inspiration. Its supremacy, its impact through the medium of sculpture is profound. When we stand before the immutable presence of the Trimurti at Elephanta or the sensuous yakshis from Mathura or the coupling Mithunas from Khajuraho, we are mesmerised. Life flows from within these images as though they were living, palpable beings. Radhakrishnan’s sculptures in bronze build truly upon the foundations of this heritage. He is engaged with the human figure and the figure alone. Yet he has moved far far away from the bounds of iconography, of what a figure can or cannot do. He has escaped from rigid textual prescriptions for pratima, the icon in worship. Indeed, he does not distinguish between the sacred icon and the profane. He is not concerned with proportions of anatomy and canons of measurement his torsos can be bulky, bulging, roughly textured; crudely modeled with an arm missing here and a leg there; or attenuated as they are today, with their limbs achieving impossible positions. In fact, he does not seem bothered at all with the perfection of human form or with norms of beauty.