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Vidyasankar Sthapathy (born 6 June 1938), [1] is a sculptor from Tamil Nadu, India. He was born in Karur, and lives in Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district.
He comes from a long lineage of sculptors dating back to several centuries perhaps as far back as the building of Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur in the 11th century A.D. He trained in all classical sculptures and iconometrics of traditional sculpture but chose to forge his own path. [2]
He had served at the Government College of Fine Arts, Kumbakonam as its principal and retired from service. [3] He continues to sculpt. [4]
He has experimented with many subjects in many ways. He used sheet metal, lime plaster, bronze, wire, and stone. He was part of the Madras Movement in the 1960s and 1970s which looked into traditions and folk art to anchor their ideas about art. [2] In 1964, he used a two-dimensional sheet meal and brought it out as a three-dimensional sculpture. Only after that, his fellow artists began doing something similar. [3] He happens to be the only craftsman who turned to contemporary sculpture and is one of the pioneers of the Madras Metaphor (the contemporary sculpture movement in Madras). [5] He specializes in sheet metal sculpture. His work speaks volumes about him. After gaining immense knowledge in Sirpa Sastra and the Vedas, he went on to create his own style in his works. He was rooted in tradition and stayed within the grammar of Sirpa Sastra, without breaking the norms, but was modern in his artistic expression. [4] Some of his remarkable works include his depiction of Nataraja, a woman on a swing and his stylised form of Jesus Christ, to name a few. [4] Based on this style he created Rati, Vinayaka, Ravana and others. [6]
The constellation of sculptors include S Dhanapal [1916-2000], P V Janakiram [1925-1995], Vidyasankar Sthapathy, C Dakshinamoorthy, P S Nandhan, S Paramasivam and S Nandagopal. This group had banded together in 1991 to showcase their works in Mumbai. It was reviewed by the well-known art critic, S V Vasudev, under the heading The Madras Metaphor. This title continues to be the identifying hallmark of the group, which has had shows in Calcutta, Mumbai and Chennai in 1991, followed by similar shows under the same name in 1992, 1995, 1998, 2003 and now in 2006. [7]
He received many awards which include Madras Ceramics Art Show (1961), Madras Art Club Exhibition (1963), Madras State Lalit Kala Akademi (1964, 1978, 1985), Mysore Dasara Cultural Exhibition (1973), "National Award", New Delhi (1993), "Kalai Chemmal", Department of Arts and Culture, Tamil Nadu (1996), VI All India Veteran Artist, All India Fine Arts Crafts Society, New Delhi (1999), Bombay Arts Society (1976), All India Art Contest, Nagpur (1995), "Gowri Shankar Sthapathy Award", Visvakarma Kalamandram, Chennai (1998) and "Shilpakalarathinam", Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam (2011). [1] He is featured in the book 'The Madras Metaphor' by Oxford University Press. [5]
Kumbakonam, or Kudanthai, is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 40 km (25 mi) from Thanjavur and 282 km (175 mi) from Chennai and is the headquarters of the Kumbakonam taluk of Thanjavur district. It is the second largest city in the district after Thanjavur. The city is bounded by two rivers, the Kaveri River to the north and Arasalar River to the south. Kumbakonam is known as a "Temple town" due to the prevalence of a number of temples here and is noted for its Mahamaham festival, which happens once in 12 years, attracting people from all over the country.
The Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology & Research Academy, also known as SASTRA, is a private and deemed university in the town of Thirumalaisamudram, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, India. SASTRA is ranked by global ranking agencies such as Times Higher Education and QS. It offers undergraduate, post graduate and doctoral courses in Engineering, Science, Education, Management, Law and the Arts.
Tamil Nadu is known for its ancient temple architecture known as the Dravidian architecture. Nearly 33,000 ancient temples, many at least 800 to 2000 years old, are found scattered all over Tamil Nadu. As per Tamil Nadu Hindu Endowments Board, there are 38,615 temples. Most of the largest Hindu Temples reside here. Studded with complex architecture, a variety of sculptures, and rich inscriptions, the temples remain the very essence of the culture and heritage of Tamil land, with historical records dating back to at least 3,000 years.
Amirthakadeswarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located at Sakkottai in Tamil Nadu, India. The temple is dedicated to Shiva. Shiva is worshiped as Amirthakadeswarar, and is represented by the lingam. His consort Parvati is depicted as Amirthavalli Amman. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the Nayanmars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam.
Muthiah Sthapati is an Indian sculptor, architect and builder of Hindu temple architecture. He is known for the design and construction of several temples in the UK and US, including the Hindu Temple of Minnesota. He is the creator of the 67.5-foot Buddha statue at Rambadagalla Vidyasagara Temple, in Sri Lanka, reported to be world's largest Buddha statue in the seated (samadhi) position. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian award of Padma Shri in 1992.
Ravisubramaniyan (ரவிசுப்பிரமணியன்) is a writer, poet and documentary film maker.
M. Rajendran served as Vice-Chancellor of Tamil University, Thanjavur, in Tamil Nadu, India. He is a Tamil Scholar, Writer and Publisher of Kanaiyazhi literary magazine in Tamil., He was the coordinator of academic committee, World Classical Tamil Conference 2010. He chaired the High Level Committee to amend the Tamil Nadu Public Library Act and Tamil Nadu Public Library Rules, which was constituted by the Government of Tamil Nadu in January 2022. Kalingar Mu. Karunanidhi Classic Tamil Award, Muthamilkavalar Ki.Aa.Be. Vishwanatham Award has been given to him.
Chandramoulisvarar Temple, Arichandrapuram, also known as Arichandhiram is a Siva temple in near Pattisvaram near Kumbakonam in Thanjavur District in Tamil Nadu (India).
Kailasanathar Temple, Tirumetrazhigai, is a Siva temple near Patteeswaram in Thanjavur District in Tamil Nadu (India).
Sundaresvarar Temple, Tiruloki, is a Siva temple in Tiruloki, in Thiruvidaimarudur Taluk in Thanjavur District in Tamil Nadu (India). It is at a distance of 5 km from Thiruppanandal. This place was called as Emanallur.
Sundaresvarar Temple is a Siva temple in Koranattukarupur near Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu, India.
Bhagavadh Vinayaga Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Vinayaka, located in the town of Kumbakonam in Thanjavur District Tamil Nadu, India.
Thanjavur Chariot festival is a historical event associated with the Big Temple, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India.
Chidambaresvarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located at Kotlambakkam in Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu, India.
Kiruthivakesvarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located at Soolamangalam near Ayyampet in Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu, India.
Thalikkulanathar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located at Thanjavur in Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, India.
Kailasanathar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located at Thanjavur in Thanjavur district, India.
Natanapureesvarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located at Thantanthottam in Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, India.
R. Kaliprasadh is a Tamil writer. He has written short stories, translations, and literary reviews and criticism.
For the film director, see M. Thirumalai (director)
