Born on 25 May 1906 in Bankura in Bengal, Ramkinkar Baij was an iconoclast who defied the artistic norms of Santiniketan, where he had enrolled on the advice of journalist Ramananda Chatterjee.

One of the pioneers of modern Indian sculpture, Baij created art spontaneously, driven by intuition and energy and disregarding the artistic standards accepted by the institution.

A brief introduction to modelling by a visiting French sculptor led Baij to engage with clay in a unique manner and evolve a personal, innovative style that was largely untrained. He introduced cement concrete casting as an alternative to expensive plaster. The first artist in Santiniketan to use oil paint and create distinctly modern and abstract works, Baij painted on Santhal wraps with packet colours thinned with linseed oil and drew his figures on silk with a shoe brush as part of his innovations.

Drawn from life, Baij’s figures breathed a bold realism, an earthy strength and spontaneity seen in his sculptures, drawings, and paintings. A similar spontaneity of action is visible in his transparent watercolours and drawings, particularly in the sequence of nudes. The country’s first truly ‘modern’ sculptor, Baij’s sculptures were often monumental and possessed an inner movement, as seen in the Santhal Family or Mill Call, two of his best-known open-air sculptures in Santiniketan.

The colossal Yaksha and Yakshi sculptures at the Reserve Bank of India, New Delhi, brought Baij recognition, even though they differed in style from his other work. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 1970.