ABOUT THE ARTIST
in his initial years, S. Dhanapal was drawn towards the bengal school style and excelled in line drawing
and impressionistic watercolours. but his own evolving style tended to incline towards south indian
temple murals, because of which roy chowdhury encouraged him to take up sculpture.
Born on 3 March 1919 in Madras, S. Dhanapal trained under sculptor-teacher D. P. Roy Chowdhury at
the city’s Government College of Art and Craft.He joined the faculty of his college after completing his
studies, and, in 1957, when K. C. S. Paniker was principal, Dhanapal was appointed the head of the
sculpture department. He eventually became principal of his alma mater in 1972.
Dhanapal studied ancient Indian sculptures for their thematic divisions, techniques, iconography, and
iconometry, particularly the grammar of Chola, Pallava as well as Mathura sculptures of the Gandhara
School.
Massive and robust, his sculptures
retained the fullness of a threedimensional form. He experimented
with various metals, terracotta and
wood with a great command over
each medium, exploring varied
themes ranging from the biblical and
mythological to nudes, portraits and
narratives.
Besides being an acclaimed visual
artist, Dhanapal also attained fame
as a performing artiste—he was an
accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer
and was part of several dance-drama
productions on stage; he learnt the
classical dance forms of Kathakali and
Kathak too.
