Sculpting chalk for peace

creativity unlimited

“The challenge lies in the patience needed to finely carve the extremely brittle carbonate lime, commonly known as chalk,” says the artist, who was deeply moved by the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.

“Any violence pains me. I wanted my work to reflect this pain and also my thoughts on terrorism and religious fundamentalism,” says Bhaduri, adding, “the pristine white of chalk seemed the appropriate medium to spread the message of peace and harmony.”  
While her delicately executed chalk figurines of a Hindu, Muslim and Christian praying together underlines the universality of faith, the carefully outlined figure of a man’s arms raised in supplication portrays the intrinsic purity of all religions.

“I use motifs like the dove or white pigeons as symbols of peace. For peace to be there, love is essential. Hence, many of my pieces also depict love among humankind,” says the sculptor, whose chalk sculptures of two persons hugging and the ubiquitous ‘Mother and Child’ have found widespread appreciation. Her mountain of humanity, showing human beings piled on each other, signifies interdependence and secularism.

“While patriotism or national pride are acceptable, it must be remembered that no person, no community, no nation, can survive in isolation. Give respect to get respect has been the fundamental teaching of social reformers like Swami Vivekananda, who also find place in my series on world peace,” says Bhaduri.

Other harbingers of peace like Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Lord Buddha and Rabindranath Tagore figure prominently amidst her chalk statuettes. “Now is the time to ponder over their philosophies. The strife-ridden world needs to remember what they taught us about living in unity and harmony,” says Bhaduri, whose chalk busts of these thinkers have caught them in a reflective mood.  

Bhaduri started working with chalk as a schoolgirl. “I was a back-bencher and it was easy to chisel away on chalk, which was easily available in school, without catching the teacher”s eye. My first carving, when I was in Class V, was that of a woman. I did not realise then that my playful act would develop into a lifelong passion,” says the artist.    

However, it was only around 1991 that Bhaduri decided to convert her passion into a serious art form with an exhibition of her chalk sculptures at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kolkata. To date, she has crafted and exhibited a collection of around 500 chalk statues, each telling a story of its own.

Bhaduri absorbed the traditions of the Indian Peoples’ Theatre Association (IPTA) movement under the influence of her father, the late Darbar Bhaduri, a singer and member of the IPTA. “Struggle figures prominently in my work. There is the working person’s struggle to survive, the fight to prevail over poverty. Everywhere around us people are fighting for their rights in their own small ways. I try to capture that effort in my work as I feel that individual efforts jointly bring about major social changes,” says the carver. The old man with a walking stick, struggling to stay upright, the old lady with her wrinkled face - depicting the plight of the elderly caused by the breaking up of the joint family system - are some of her most memorable pieces.

Incidentally, Bhaduri has no formal training in art, although she has a master’s degree in education from Calcutta University. Her parents, fortunately, recognised her talent at an early stage and encouraged her to continue with her sculpting. “Their support was tremendous. The faith they showed in me has enabled me to develop a hobby into a career without any formal guidance,” says the sculptor.

Bhaduri, in her late thirties, is a versatile artist, painting in oil and water as well as carving stone or chalk. Her choice of varied mediums shows her versatile creativity. But the signature she brings to anything she works on is her compassion and expressiveness.

“It’s always difficult for aspiring women artists to break into tightly knit art circles. My images of women in repose have been my way of showing my patience in the face of professional rivalry or criticism,” she says.  

“Working in chalk is difficult and time-consuming. Often, the brittle chalk breaks off, destroying hours of work. One needs to develop tremendous forbearance. It’s not just a test of creativity but also of patience, steadiness and hand-eye coordination,” says Milon Sengupta, another prominent chalk sculptor.  

Bhaduri points out that now with years of practice behind her, she can create a chalk sculpture within three hours. “However, intricate pieces with finely etched details, like my sculpture of Goddess Kali, or ones with multiple figures, can take days to finish. Breakage can happen even while the finishing touches are being given, and that is really heartbreaking,” she adds.

Preservation

Besides the extreme care needed to carve chalk, there is also the problem of preservation. Sculptors like Bhaduri and Sengupta keep their work wrapped in cotton wool and stored in cardboard boxes, but erosion does take place as the years go by. “Hence, unlike other works of art, there are fewer buyers for chalk sculptures. Only those who appreciate the effort behind the pieces buy these,” says Bhaduri.

So, when the West Bengal government commissioned her to do a thematic series on Satyajit Ray’s films, Bhaduri opted for regular paints. “I made 42 paintings based on the themes of Ray’s films and the characters. Using chalk would not have been appropriate as the idea was to preserve the series for posterity. The paintings, exhibited at Kolkata’s Nandan Gallery, drew large crowds. The medium of chalk is such that the common man would not have derived similar pleasure or understanding from a similar series,” explains Bhaduri.

The multi-talented artist, who has also recorded albums of Rabindra Sangeet and Sachin Dev Burman’s rare Bengali songs, is currently preparing for an exhibition of her chalk sculptures in Norway. The National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi is also collaborating with her to preserve her fragile work.

Unlike other artists who seek posterity, for Bhaduri it is the expression of her emotions and beliefs that is paramount, not the longevity of her work. And to achieve that she is prepared to rise again and again like a phoenix.