FROM THE ARCHIVE – Vigyan Bhavan Annexe, New Delhi

Vigyan Bhavan Annexe

Bronze, 1962

I had the pleasure of seeing the bronze mural in Vigyan Bhavan by Shri Amar Nath Sehgal. It has impressed me as a very fine piece of work which conveys an impression of life in India; the farmers toiling in the fields as well as enjoying their periods of leisure. The rhythmic beauty of this mural which is a sense of joy is the outstanding impression which one receives on seeing it.(…) This is a unique piece of art work the like of which does not exist in this country.

– M.S Randhawa, Advisor-Natural Resources and Scientific Research, Planning Commission, Government of India, 1962

One of the most ambitious works of Sehgal is on the mural on the inner wall of Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. The metal used here weighed approximately three tons. The moulding of it into recognizable symbols of the variegated life of India, was an enormous task, in view of the fact that it had to be projected from the wall about four inches, in order to show off the montage to effect. Also the lyrical flow of one form into another, within the limits of figurative representation, required a high talent for mobility, balance and grace. Sehgal has been able to achieve a vision of the crowded life of India without overcrowding in crystal clear forms, which hang on the wall and move the spectator to the top, where a symbolic aeroplane flies off into the sky-this last symbol was not emphasized sufficiently and therefore, makes the mural dominantly of the past of India without projecting the future. The materials, are however, handled by almost a futurist.

– Mulk Raj Anand, 1964

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