Osian's Auction Catalogue The Masterpieces and Museum Quality Series | October 2004

84 OSIAN ’ s–CONNOISSEURS OF ART 54 Sankho CHAUDHURI [b .1916, Santhal Parganas, Bihar] Untitled Wood, c.1958 102.0 x 34.5 x 28.8 cm (40.2 x 13.6 x 11.3 in) Rs. 250,000 – 325,000 $ 5,400 – 7,000 £ 2,950 – 3,850 ‘Sankho is an experimenter, a traditionalist and a modern all in one. Perhaps this is another way of saying that he is not domi- nated by any particular school of expression and has never permit- ted his talents to be drawn into any set mode. Sankho, like sev- eral other contemporary Indian sculptors, has lived in exciting times and a certain nervous ten- sion is discernible in a consider- able part of his output. This probably accounts for the wide range of his subject matter, his fondness for a variety of material to work on and his many forms of expression.’’– Karl Khandal- avala, rpt. in Indian Sculpture 1983 Jehangir Art Gallery; p19 . ‘In the 1950’s Sankho Chaudhuri became known especially through his wood sculptures. The style of these is characteristic; he gener- ally carved a tall, vertical form, often with a slightly undulating or spiral movement. The forma- tions preserve the qualities of growth, their slight modulations and curves imply rather than describe nuances and shades of movement. The artist pays special attention to the wood grain, the images are smoothly polished, attenuated and sophisticated.’ – Jaya Appasamy, rpt. in An Introduction to Modern Indian Sculpture. New Delhi: ICCR 1970; p18.