Chintamoni Kar

Biographical information

RolesCompeted in Olympic Games
SexMale
Full nameChintamoni•Kar
Used nameChintamoni•Kar
Other namesChintamani Kar
Born19 April 1915 in Kharagpur, West Bengal (IND)
Died3 October 2005 in Kolkata (Calcutta), West Bengal (IND)
NOC Great Britain
Medals OG
Gold 0
Silver 1
Bronze 0
Total 1

Biography

Chintamoni Kar was born in India, but adopted British citizenship. He received his initial training in sculpture from a traditional Oriya sthapati, a temple-carver. Kar learned painting at a school run by the Indian Society of Oriental Art in Kolkata beginning in 1930 before going to Paris for further studies in 1938. From 1940 he taught at various universities in Kolkata and New Delhi. He lived from 1946-56 in London. Upon his return to India, he served as principal of the Government College of Arts and Crafts in Kolkata from 1956-73. Kar experimented with many materials and forms, combining the concepts and technique into a fusion of convention and sophistication, emphasizing myth and concept. The main motif of his pictures and sculptures was the human body, increasingly linking Indian traditions with Western influences.

Kar received the highest civilian Indian awards and was considered one of the most important visual artists in the country. After his death, a nature reserve south of Kolkata, which he had worked to preserve, was named after him. His sculpture Skating the Stag won the silver medal at the 1948 London Olympic Games. The plaster model of the later bronze figure was created at the beginning of his time in London. The “Stag” is a variant of the split jump in figure skating.

Results

Games Discipline (Sport) / Event NOC / Team Pos Medal As
1948 Summer Olympics Art Competitions GBR Chintamoni Kar
Sculpturing, Statues, Open (Olympic) 2 Silver
Sculpturing, Statues, Open (Olympic) AC