My
chance to encounter with Pradip Sur was created by my current assignment. I am working
in a documentary on a group of 17 prolific painters, sculptors, print maker and
photographers. The shooting is taking place in Chandannagar, the former French enclave
in West Bengal, His friendly behavior and jovial attitude made me feel at home
and soon earned him the epithet of Da
(a Bengali honorific denoting elder brother). Pradip Sir became Pradip da for all of us.
With
his silvery white hair and beard, Khadi Kurta and flat cap, Pradip Sur
resembles the quintessential Bengali intellectual. Not only does he live up to
that image but he is also a humble and down to earth man. So it’s hard
to believe that the same person sculpted the logo of NANDAN, the Film and cultural
hub of Bengal that was designed by Satyajit Ray.
Apparently
the great Ray after he had designed the iconic NANDAN logo was looking for a
sculptor to create the huge logo in steel. The chief engineer of the project
was looking for young artists who could execute the same. The young troika
of Bikas Mukherjee, Mohi Paul and Pradip Sur stepped forward. Then they had formed a
new company called “United Designers”. Sur suggested that the sculpture be made
from fiber glass material. The Chief engineer was too wary of Ray’s persona to
make the suggestion himself. He setup a meeting between Sur and Ray. In the
meeting Ray patiently listened to the young Sur and suggested Sur to return
with a 1 feet diameter fiber glass replica of the logo. Sur came back within
one week with a perfectly crafted fiber glass replica. Ray approved with
some minimal correction and the rest is history. The 10 feet diameter NANDAN
logo could still be seen on the facade of Kolkata’s premier Art and culture
hub.
Sur
in his young age was very much moved by Auguste Rodin’s sculpture after
watching an exhibition of the famous French sculptor. He was inspired by the
philosophy of Rodin’s work.
For
him Rodin held out an important lesson. Namely the distinction between
commercial and fine art, the distinction between artist and artisan is
artificial. Sur noticed that all of the displayed works of Rodin were executed
against “orders” but that never detracted from their artistic value.The great
sculptor had left his Midas touch in all of his works which are now considered
timeless. The fact that all of his work was delivered as commercial projects
doesn’t come in way of their appreciation. ‘I think this is a fundamental learning for
all of us who are engaged in the field of visual arts and sometimes feel
snobbish about popular art works.” says Sur.
What a vision!
I think this should be the guideline for all who are engaged in the trade of
serious visual art form. Now a days Mukherjee, Paul and Sur have all aged gracefully. With their silver mane and
wizardry with their fingers they would not feel out of place as philosophers or
as Gandalf in Lord Of The Rings. Sur still frequents the NANDAN precincts. Does
he feel pangs of nostalgia? Or is it just another stepping stone in the artist’s
journey? Sur demurs with his trademark
gentle smile. “The only thing that’s important to me whether I am able to
respect my own work.”
About Pradip Sur: Sculptor Pradip Sur is
the founder member of an artist guild of West Bengal named ‘CONTRIVANCE’-established
in the year of 1979. Abundant Art Gallery has arranged an exhibition from 10th
of this month in the Le Dame Art Gallery of London, where Sur and his other
teammates’ art works will be exhibited. We are engaged in making promos for
this very exhibition.
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