Artist Neeraj Gupta’s sculpture brings alive timelessness of the Ramayan

New Delhi / March 29, 2024

New Delhi, 29 March: There is an element of timelessness and ethereality in the figures of Ram and Sita as they look heavenwards, in the installation titled ‘Divine Victory’ by noted sculptor Neeraj Gupta.

Being showcased as part of the ‘Ramayan Chitra Kavyam’ exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art, on view from March 1 to April 30, Neeraj Gupta’s sculpture immediately grabs attention.

The sculpture depicts the victorious homecoming of Ram with Sita, after vanquishing Ravan, says artist Neeraj Gupta.

What strikes you is the faceless quality of the figures – right from Ram and Sita, to the others sitting below – they could be Hanuman, or Lakshman, or members of Ram’s army of monkeys who went with him to vanquish Ravan, or even common folk.

Standing at nearly six feet and over five feet in width, and with a light terracotta finish, the wooden sculpture shows a standing Ram with his bow and a quiver full of arrows, with Sita draped in a flowing attire alongside him, while many figures are sitting below with their arms outstretched.

He hopes to pitch his current work for being included in a museum that is being set up in the newly-consecrated Ram Mandir in Ayodhya

Why are the figures faceless?

“The figures are faceless, with no nose and eyes. It’s a blend of figuration and abstraction, so that we can call it a work of contemporary art, which is different from craft. Had I made all those things then it would have become a work of craft, “explains Neeraj.

Besides Ram and Sita, how does one identify Lakshman or Hanuman from the many other figures in the installation. There is nothing to identify them?

“That is left to the viewer. You can interpret it in different ways,” says Neeraj.

The sculpture basically depicts a scene of joyousness at Ram’s homecoming and each one is reacting in his or her way to that great episode, he adds.

“Besides showcasing the triumph of Ram, it also symbolises the modern concept of spirituality – of how human beings can be detached from worldly things, so that they enter the path of spirituality through those mythological teachings,” Neeraj says.

That is the reason for making the sculpture “both a figurative and non-figurative one” at the same time. “It is abstract as well as figurative – that’s the best part of the sculpture; you cannot call it figurative, and you cannot call it abstract; it is a blend, which is probably the most difficult thing to do for any artist.”

He elaborates: “While doing justice to a mythological subject you cannot be totally abstract, otherwise you will not be able to get a feel for it, or be able to convey the things you want to the viewer…There was an attempt to have a blend of figurative and abstraction that will be totally Indian -- which cannot be termed as an influence of any other art or any other technique,” he added.

The upturned faces of Ram and Sita and of the other figures is also part of the artist’s idea of taking the viewer “out of the worldly things, and the state of fear and anxiety, towards spirituality”.

“Works of art, as you know are suggestive only, and every viewer has his or her own interpretation. But one thing is for sure, that for a work of art to be successful, it should be appealing to the viewer,” he says.

And Neeraj Gupta’s work does stand out. Though static, it conveys a sense of motion, of transcending time.

Another important factor in the work is that it has been sculpted from a mammoth trunk of a rosewood tree that had been logged for “developmental work”.

“It must have been around 500 years old, for the tree to grow this thick a trunk,” says the artist. He is happy that his work has given the tree “a new life”.

“That’s another very beautiful aspect (of the work),” he says.

Neeraj, who took one year to carve the piece, used the “direct carving” method to bring to life his piece. 

He had the subject in his mind when he got the giant tree trunk home to his studio.

After drawing the outlines, he had to chip very carefully – directly carving into the wood to get the figures right. In this method, one wrong move means you have ruined whatever you were trying to etch, he explains.

“There is no going back. One wrong move and you can spoil the carving,” he said.

What were the difficulties he faced while carving?

“The wood had become very hard, because of the age… Because it was very old wood, it had its own kind of challenges. In such old wood, the grain turns very hard, so you have to carve along the grain. And since it was direct carving, that became a little difficult.”

Why does only Ram have the bow and arrows?

“To give the subject a real meaning, the bow and arrows must be there. But had I done it for the others, it would have become a work of craft rather than art.”

The sculpture measures 185 cm from top to bottom, 170 cm in width and 130 cm in depth.

“Probably this is the largest one-piece sculpture on this subject,” says Neeraj, who has done an installation for the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) that focuses on the miracle of creation.

Ends