Spiny Babbler Museum: Top Banner
The Establishment
SB in the News
The Arts Club
The Shop
Editor: Pallav Ranjan, Webmaster: Prashant Gurung
 

CONTEMPORARY ARTS

Call: 5542810, 5546725, 5527406
Email: education@spinybabbler.org
 
  CREATOR OF THE WEEK
 
Kalidas: Personalities of Visual Art from Nepal
  Kalidas
  Based on an interview
 
  

Creations 
Born in 1922 at Jhochhe, Kalidas is self-satisfied with his interest in music and his proficiency in arts. Although counseled by his parents that one couldn't earn publicity or a living working in the field of arts, Kalidas Shrestha did not believe in them and started his secret practice in arts from his childhood. For his long endurance on creating, analysis, and publishing arts, he was honored with a Mahendra Pragya Puraskar(prize).

Supported and appreciated by his sister for his talents in arts, Kalidas says that to succeed in literature, music, or any other form of art a person requires his own sincerity and labor and that a teacher can only guide him with instructions.

Kalidas still reveres his arts teacher Chaturatna Udash, though banished from the country, for the great sacrifices and skill in arts.

He was a faculty at Durbar High school from 1954 when he along with Chandra Bahadur Shrestha and Jeevratna were appointed by Prime Minister Padma Samsher to convert the Judha Arts School, where he had studied for six years, into a technical school. Kalidas had completed his Bachelors from the J.J. School of Arts in Mumbai.

From 1960 he started to organize art exhibitions. He was invited to Rana palaces to decorate, carve statues, design windows and doors, and to paint the curtains of theaters.

After the demise of his father, he was left the responsibility to run his house. To do so, he started selling his art works and later he established an art gallery at his home. His works were sold for prices between 200 and 250. His creativity led him to paint Nanglo(big plates woven with bamboo slits). They were soon famous to such an extent that he received a contract to paint a hundred thousand such Nanglo paintings. But under condition, that it wouldn't be possible to collect hundred thousand Nanglos and even if he did so, he wouldn't be able to paint them all under the given time of a year, he had to give up the contract.

Shrestha points out that, during the history of Nepali arts, there was a time when arts were almost lost but then during the Malla era, the kings highlighted sculptor crafting. Since then statues and sculptures have prospered in great extent. So underlining its importance in our history, he had proposed His Majesty the King Mahendra to open a College of Fine Arts. With very strenuous efforts, he able to establish the college in 1967; but the Bachelors level was only provided since 1973. And he himself had to run around the hours as the principal of the college. But until the present day, the college still has not been able to provide classes for Masters in Arts.

Presently, he lives at Nardevi's Deu Netpayo; he has seven children and presently with the aid of his wife he is still continuing with arts. He uses watercolor, oil painting and sketches as his medium of arts and can also illustrate his talents in terra cotta sculptures. He has also published educational books on paintings.

He is satisfied that the most of the good artists found in our country nowadays have graduated from his College of Fine Arts, where he had endeavored so much to run it properly. He is presently the chairman of the Nepal Arts Society and suggests that he would prefer some hints that reflect the country's impression in every painting a Nepali creates.

 
The Commercial and Services Section
 
THE SHOP
     
COLLECTIBLES
PUBLICATIONS
GREETING CARDS
MUSIC SECTION
THE ARTS CLUB
Spiny Babbler's Winter Arts Offering for 4 to 14 years olds children.
Learn more...
SERVICES
   
COMMUNICATION SERVICES
  UN and global agencies use our pre-production, print, web, and multi-media services.
  MAILING LIST Subscribe UnsubscribeName:  Email: 
© 1991 - 2007 Spiny Babbler and the contributors. No part of this site may be reproduced in print, web, audio, or other media without the written permission of the copyright holder/s. All material, artwork, photographs, text, protected by international copyright laws.
 
CONTEMPORARY ARTS | TRADITIONAL ARTS | ARTS PROGRAMS
Home | The Shop | The Arts Club | Contact Us