Born on 3 March, 1919 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, S Dhanapal was an exceptional artist and sculptor He went on to study painting at the Government College of Arts and Crafts after which he joined the college as a faculty member in 1941 He was appointed the Head of Department for sculpture in 1957

 

His earliest influences were artisans at Kapaleeswara temple who created vahanas for deities As a child, he would spend hours at the temple observing the animals and creatures being carved into the vehicles His enduring fascination with sculpting, blending the eastern philosophies and western modern art aesthetic, would begin from his time at the Government College of Arts and Crafts Here, he would also meet his mentor Debi Prasad Roy Chowdhury, the then principal and renowned sculptor Although Dhanapal had enrolled for painting, his time with Chowdhury would lead him to learn the art of sculpting

 

Another mentor who would be influential in his life would be KCS Panicker with whom he would establish the Cholamandal Artists’ Village in 1966 This would further the Madras Art Movement exponentially

 

Dhanapal’s early works depicted temple iconography and folklore Later, he would explore the abstract to reinterpret the same influences He was also known for his sculptures of politicians and famous figures The many politicians he sculpted include Periyar, Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan and K Kamaraj He also created a sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi post his passing

 

The sculptor and painter’s works have been exhibited throughout the country and the world including England, Germany and a large retrospective at the Noble Sage Art Gallery in London in 2007 His works are part of prominent permanent collections like the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi and the Parliament House, New Delhi

 

He was awarded two fellowships in 1980 by the Department of Culture of the Government of India and Tamil Nadu Lalit Kala Akademi He was also a proficient Bharatnatyam dancer for most of his life and also acted in Thirumazhisai Azhwar as Siva and Vishnu

 

The artist passed away in the year 2000