Who made the famous sculpture 'Santhal Family'?

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Accepted Answer

The correct option is 4:
Ramkinkar Baij's 'Santhal Family', created in 1938, is a landmark work, widely celebrated as the first public modernist sculpture in India. Baij used unconventional, indigenous materials—specifically cement and laterite mortar—to depict a Santhal couple, their child, and a dog migrating with their meager possessions. This choice of material and subject matter was revolutionary, elevating the dignity of tribal migrant laborers and integrating their social reality with a dynamic, modernist aesthetic that drew inspiration from both Santiniketan's local milieu and international art movements. The sculpture is permanently installed in the Kala Bhavana compound at Santiniketan.

The incorrect option is 1:
Dhanraj Bhagat was a significant contemporary sculptor known for his unique blend of Indian traditions and Western modernism, often exploring spiritual and abstract themes in media like wood and metal. His notable works include *Siva Dance* and the *Bull series*, but he is not associated with the creation of the monumental and overtly social-realist *Santhal Family* sculpture. Bhagat’s style developed towards more geometric and cubist forms, differing significantly from the expressionistic naturalism found in Baij’s masterpiece.

The incorrect option is 2:
D. P. Roy Chaudhuri (Devi Prasad Roy Chowdhury) was a versatile artist, renowned as both a painter and a sculptor, and served as the Principal of the Madras School of Arts and Crafts. His best-known public sculpture is the monumental *Triumph of Labour* at Marina Beach, Madras, which reflects an academic and Rodin-esque realism. This style, though celebrating the working class, is distinct from Baij’s rough, more earthy, and indigenous modernist approach used in *Santhal Family*.

The incorrect option is 3:
Sankho Chaudhuri was a key figure in abstract modern Indian sculpture and notably a student of Ramkinkar Baij at Santiniketan. While he inherited a spirit of material experimentation from his master, his style gravitated towards simple, flowing, and more abstract forms, often using materials like brass and bronze. His primary contribution lies in pioneering abstract sculpture in India, positioning him as a successor rather than the creator of the seminal, figurative work *Santhal Family*.