Mahendra Pandya (1926-2015)
Artist Camp, Bhutan, 2007
Mahendra Pandya was born in Indore district of Bharuch, Gujarat in 1926. He studied B.A. in Sculpture from M S University, Baroda. He has accumulated many awards, scholarship and exhibitions till date by exploring various mediums like bronze, stone, wood, cement and metal sheet.
His constant approach has been towards adhering to and understanding material which is also evident in his style as he aims to attain the raw quality of the material. The forms are simplified and modified to small scale and even large depending upon the material. Pandya’s venture in making a fine smooth and a cubist approach in mediums like bronze, aluminium, and marble has been remarkable. He moved from the two dimensional drawings to three-dimensional sculptures, and a common thread that binds the practices is the basic element of a – line. The line according to Pandya plays a dominant role as a tool of exploration be it surfaces, depths, or defining volume, and even opening various possibilities, any given material can provide.
He has received many awards, some of which include Outstanding Artist Fellowship of Ministry of Human Resources India, prizes by Bombay State Art Exhibition, Gold Medal By Indian Sculptor’s Association, etc. His contribution to the pedagogue at the Department of Sculpture, M S University, Baroda as a faculty and a practitioner is remarkable.
Prof. Pandya passed away after a prolonged illness at the age of 89 in 2015 at his residence in Vadodara.