Devi Prasad Roy Choudhury
MBE (15 June 1899 – 15 October 1975) was an Indian sculptor, painter and educator. He is well known for his monumental
bronze sculptures, especially the ''
Triumph of Labour'' and the
''Martyrs' Memorial'', and is rated by many as one among the major artists of Indian modern art.
He worked in a broad spectrum of mediums including watercolors, expressionist landscapes and commissioned portraits. Large scale sculptures were his particular strength and he made
social realism the cornerstone of his art. In addition to painting and sculpting, he also wrestled, played the flute, engaged in hunting and wrote short stories in his spare time.
He served as the principal of
Madras School of Art
The Government College of Fine Arts (initially known as the Madras School of Art) in Chennai is the oldest art institution in India. The institution was established in 1850 by surgeon Alexander Hunter as a private art school. In 1852, after bei ...
from 1929 to 1957 and became one of the first Indians to head a government educational institution at the time.
The
Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the
Padma Bhushan, in 1958, for his contributions in the field of arts.
He was elected as the
Fellow of Lalit Kala Akademi in 1962.
Early life and education
Roy Choudhury was born on 15 June 1899 at Tejhat, in
Rangpur in the undivided Bengal of the
British India (presently in
Bangladesh), and did his academic studies from home.
He took his first painting lessons under the guidance of
Abanindranath Tagore, the renowned Bengali painter.
He also received lessons about life-drawing and portraiture in western style from an Italian painter named Boeiss. This was followed by sculpture training under the guidance of Hiranmoy Roy Choudhury, who taught him to ''build in'' rather than ''carve in'' his figures.
Career
Roy Choudhury’s interest of getting into art caused a rift between him and his ''zamindar'' grandfather, the head of the family, who disinherited him. Subsequently, he had to take up work as a scene painter for a theatre in North
Kolkata and taught art at a boys' school in the city. He also taught for some time at
Santiniketan where
Ramkinkar Baij was one of his students.
Madras School of Art
Roy Choudhury joined the Madras School of Art in 1929 as a
superintendent. He thus became one of the first Indians to head a educational institution that was run by the British. He accepted the post on the understanding that he should be permitted to take up private assignments.
During his thirty years at the school, he inspired several artists form South India. He helped spark creativity among the students who had produced only conventional work until that time. This entirely changed the existing image of the school as an industrial arts centre.
Subsequently, he was honoured by the British Government as an
MBE in 1937 for his service.
Artistic output
Despite being in charge of the school for almost three decades, Roy Choudhury was quite productive as an artist. He maintained two studios, one at his residence and the other at the school. He worked from early morning till late in the evening, mostly on large-scale sculptures. However, he did not hold any exhibition of his works during his lifetime, as he believed:
I consider my modest studio as a sort of old, sacred temple devoted to the cause of art. I worship the objects I create. I can never think of them being carried now and then for public view. Those who are real lovers of art are welcome to my studio. Don’t the devotees pay a visit to the dilapidated temple in a village?
When
Lalit Kala Akademi was founded in 1954, he was appointed as the founder chairman.
He also served as president of the
UNESCO Art Seminar conducted in 1955 at Tokyo and the ''Nikhil Bharat Bangiya Sahitya Sammilani'' of 1956 organized in Chennai.
Works
Paintings
When Roy Choudhury studied under the guidance of Tagore, he mainly created paintings in his master’s style and technique. Flowing lines in the ''wash'' technique with flat tones can be seen in his early works. The subjects in his works were mostly based on mythological themes. After his exposure to the western art techniques, he created artworks in the western academic style.
In the later part of his life, Choudhury was drawn towards the common man. He interacted with people of the poorer class and began drawing from life rather than from models. Moreover, he had also created a number of genre and landscape paintings. His other works include animal studies from his experiences during his hunting expeditions.
Roy Choudhury experimented with different mediums such as
tempera,
oil,
watercolor and
pastels. Some of the notable paintings the he created in Chennai are ''Green and Gold'' (exhibited at the
Royal Academy of Arts, London), ''After the Storm'' (Japanese wash technique), ''Nirvana'', ''Bridge'', ''The Palace Doll'', ''Durga Puja Procession'', ''Abhisarika'', and ''Pujarini''.
Sculptures
Even though Roy Choudhury was a skilled painter, he is widely known for his magnificent public sculptures. His specialized in casting the sculpture rather than carving it. He reported to be influenced by the works of the French sculptor,
Auguste Rodin
François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...
.
During his early days in Kolkata, he made the busts of
Sir J. C. Bose,
Percy Brown and Mrs. Brown. While in Chennai, his high professional standards constantly brought him number of private and public commissions, notably the portrait busts of British nobility of the time. Among those who sat for their portraits or monumental statues were –
C. V. Kumaraswami Sastri (Chief Justice, Madras High Court),
Lord Erskine
The Lordship of Parliament of Erskine (Lord Erskine) was created around 1426 for Sir Robert Erskine. The sixth lord was created Earl of Mar in 1565, with which title (and the earldom of Kellie) the lordship then merged.
Lords Erskine (c. 1426)
* ...
(Governor of Madras),
G. T. Boag
Sir George Townsend Boag KCIE CSI (1884–1969) was a British Indian civil servant, statistician and administrator who served as the Acting Governor of Odisha from 11 August 1938 to 8 December 1938.
Early life
George Townsend Boag was born ...
(Governor of Orissa),
George Stanley (Governor of Madras),
C. P. Ramaswami Iyer,
C. R. Reddy
Sir Cattamanchi Ramalinga Reddy (10 December 1880 – 24 February 1951), also popularly known as Sir C. R. Reddy, was an educationist and political thinker, essayist and economist, poet and literary critic. He was a prominent member of the Justi ...
and
C. Abdul Hakim
Nawab C. Abdul Hakeem Saheb (1863–1938), one of the respected natives of Melvisharam, Prince among traders and one time Sheriff of Madras. He was a Muslim trader and politician from the Madras Presidency. He set up a tannery in 1907 and emerg ...
to name a few. Portraits created from photographs included -
Annie Besant
Annie Besant ( Wood; 1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933) was a British socialist, theosophist, freemason, women's rights activist, educationist, writer, orator, political party member and philanthropist.
Regarded as a champion of human f ...
,
Asutosh Mukherjee,
Surendranath Banerjee,
Mahatma Gandhi and
Motilal Nehru which were considered Roy Choudhury's monumental works.
In his later sculptures, Roy Choudhury sought inspiration from his surroundings and social milieu, just like his paintings. One of his first multiple-figure reliefs was the ''Travancore Temple Entry'' ''Proclamation'' that he completed in the 1930s. It depicted the
Temple Entry Proclamation
The Temple Entry Proclamation was issued by Maharaja Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma on November 12, 1936. The Proclamation abolished the ban on the so-called 'low caste people' or from entering Hindu temples in the Princely State of Travancor ...
that allowed the admission of the so-called ''low caste people'' into the Hindu temples in
Travancore. He also produced some moving images of the
Bengal famine of 1943
The Bengal famine of 1943 was a famine in the Bengal province of British India (present-day Bangladesh, West Bengal and eastern India) during World War II. An estimated 0.8 to 3.8 million Bengalis perished, out of a population of 60.3 millio ...
, which showed a mother with her starving infant. Post India's independence in 1947, his grand sculptures and social commitment played an important role to memorialize the country's anti-colonial struggle.
His compositions, the ''Triumph of Labour'' (1954) and the ''Martyrs’ Memorial'' (1956) continue to be outstanding examples of his depictions of social realism in this regard.
''Triumph of Labour''
On 1 May 1923,
Malayapuram Singaravelu
Malayapuram Singaravelu (18 February 1860 – 11 February 1946), also known as M. Singaravelu and Singaravelar, was a pioneer in more than one field in India. In 1918, he founded the first trade union in India. On 1 May 1923 he organised the fir ...
founded the
Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan
Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan was a political party in India. The party was founded by Singaravelu Chettiar on 1 May 1923 in Madras. This was the first May Day celebration in India. This was also the first time the red flag was used in Ind ...
in Madras which was committed to protect the interests and rights of the working classes. The foundation ceremony was held on the May Day for a purpose as it was for the first time in India that the day was observed as
International Workers' Day
International Workers' Day, also known as Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every year on 1 May, ...
under the auspices of the newly formed party.
Roy Choudhury’s sculpture is located at the
Marina Beach, close to the site where Singaravelu organized the first Labour Day celebrations. It shows four figures engrossed in moving a heavy boulder, who appear to succeed in their task, thus signifying the ''Triumph of Labour''. The sculpture highlights the intense hard work and effort put in by workers to shape India as it is today. A similar sculpture is also located outside the
National Gallery of Modern Art building in New Delhi.
''Martyrs' Memorial''
Located outside the
Patna Secretariat
Patna Secretariat, also known as Patna Sachivalaya or Old Secretariat, is the administrative headquarters of the state Government of Bihar in India. It is located in Bihar's capital city of Patna. This building is situated between two iconic buil ...
, the ''Martyrs’ Memorial'' stands tall as the symbolic representation of the sacrifice that the Indians made to achieve independence. It is a life-sized
statue
A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...
of seven young men who sacrificed their lives in the
Quit India Movement
The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Kranti Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8th August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British rule in ...
to hoist the
national flag
A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours ...
on the Secretariat building.
Roy Choudhury showcases the determined attitude and the spontaneity of movement of each defiant figure which emphasizes the strength of the entire composition. This sculpture was commissioned after India’s Independence and was unveiled by
Rajendra Prasad in October 1956.
''Gyarah Murti''
A monumental sculpture titled ''Gyarah Murti'', based on
Dandi March has been erected along the road at the junction of Sardar Patel Marg and Teen Murti Marg in Delhi. The task of creating this sculpture was entrusted to Roy Choudhury by the then Prime Minister,
Jawaharlal Nehru. This sculpture is 29 meters long on the surface and 4 meters high, made of a combination of 11 figures. It was installed in 1982 after the death of Devi Prasad Roy Choudhury. The image of this sculpture was also printed on the Indian currency note of 500 rupees.
Some of his other important public sculptures include the statue of
Mahatma Gandhi at Marina beach in Chennai,
''God of Destruction'' (plaster of paris), ''Rhythm'', ''After the Bath'', ''The Last Stroke'', ''Victims of Hunger'' (1952) and ''When Winter Comes'' (1955), all made in bronze.
Public collections
His works are displayed at
Government Museum, Chennai, National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, ''Srichitralayam'' at
Jaganmohan Palace,
Salar Jung Museum
The Salar Jung Museum is an art museum located at Dar-ul-Shifa, on the southern bank of the Musi River, India, Musi River in the city of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is one of the List of museums in India, notable National Museums of India. ...
, Hyderabad and Travancore Art Gallery,
Kerala and are featured in many books, ''Indian Masters, Volume I'',
''The Two Great Indian Artists''
and ''Art and Aesthetics of Deviprasad'' being some of them.
Awards and recognition
In 1958, the Government of India awarded him the
Padma Bhushan, the third highest Indian civilian honour.
He received the
Lalit Kala Akademi Fellowship in 1962 and, six years later,
Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, honoured him with
D.Litt. in 1968.
Personal life
Roy Choudhury married Charulata and had one son, Bhaskar. He was a folk dancer, actor, choreographer, author and painter.
Death and legacy
Roy Choudhury died on 15 October 1975 in Madras at the age of seventy-six. He had his first solo exhibition in
Kolkata in 1993 after which had several exhibitions in India, including Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata,
Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi and Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, among others.
His sculpture, the ''Triumph of Labour'' featured on an
Indian postage stamp to celebrate the 40th anniversary of
International Labour Organization in 1959. The ''Martyrs’ Memorial'' also appeared on the Indian postal stamp to commemorate the
silver jubilee of Quit India Movement in 1967.
See also
*
List of Lalit Kala Akademi fellows
The Lalit Kala Akademi Fellowship, also known as Lalit Kala Akademi ''Ratna'' (Sanskrit ''ratna'', "gem") is an honor for the fine arts in India. It is awarded to eminent artists for their lifetime achievements in the field of visual arts by the ...
*
Abanindranath Tagore
*
Bengal School of Art
*
Martyrs' Memorial Patna
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Choudhury, D. P. Roy
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts
1899 births
1975 deaths
People from Rangpur District
Bengali male artists
Indian male sculptors
Indian male painters
Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai alumni
Members of the Order of the British Empire
Indian art educators
20th-century Indian sculptors
20th-century Indian painters
20th-century Indian educators
Fellows of the Lalit Kala Akademi
20th-century Indian male artists