Who made the sculpture "Yaksha-Yakshi"?

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Accepted Answer

The correct option is 4:
Ramkinkar Baij (1906-1980) is the artist who created the iconic monumental sculptures known as *Yaksha-Yakshi*, which stand at the entrance of the Reserve Bank of India headquarters in New Delhi. Baij is recognized as one of the pioneers of modern Indian sculpture and a key figure of the Santiniketan art movement. His style was revolutionary, deliberately moving away from academic realism to embrace a rugged, expressionistic vitality, often using indigenous or unconventional materials like cement mixed with stone aggregate, which gives the *Yaksha-Yakshi* its unique, rough texture. These colossal figures, completed around 1955, depict the ancient nature deities associated with wealth and fertility, capturing the dynamic energy of the working class and indigenous life, thus making them a signature work of his modernist-folk aesthetic.

The incorrect option is 1:
Meera Mukherjee (1923-1998) was a highly significant Indian sculptor, but she is known for a very different technical and stylistic approach. She specialized in reviving and refining the traditional *Dokra* technique, which is an ancient method of non-ferrous metal casting using the lost-wax process. Her sculptures, such as the famous *The Earth Has Moved*, are typically made of bronze and are characterized by their intricate, thread-like lines, elongated forms, and a strong influence from the folk art of Bastar. This delicate, metal-casting technique stands in contrast to Baij's massive, rough-cement creations.

The incorrect option is 2:
Dhruv Mistry (born 1957) is a sculptor whose work belongs to a much later generation of Indian modernism. He received a formal, highly academic art education both in India and the UK, and is known for creating large-scale works in bronze, stone, and fiberglass. Mistry's style is typically characterized by a high degree of finish, classical composition, and often explores the interplay of abstract and figurative elements in a contemporary manner. His timeline and aesthetic are distinct, placing him far from the mid-20th-century context of the *Yaksha-Yakshi* sculpture.

The incorrect option is 3:
Nand Gopal (born 1946) is a notable contemporary sculptor who primarily works with metal, bronze, and often employs welding or assemblage techniques. He is a prominent member of the Madras Art Movement. Gopal’s distinctive sculptures are typically abstract, geometric, and characterized by the construction of forms using sheets or fragments of metal, which create stark, planar, and structural compositions. This abstract, constructivist approach is fundamentally different from Ramkinkar Baij's expressionistic, monumental, and broadly figurative style seen in the *Yaksha-Yakshi* figures.