His certificates of honor hang in his room – for his contributions as one of the first modern sculptors to his involvement in social works and his scouting days. As he settles down with piles of books and catalogues of his works over the years, he shares, “It all started in the fields.”[break]
Born to a farmer family, his earlier days were spent playing and helping his parents in the fields. But for the creative lad, working with the soil meant more than just farming. He began making small sculptures out of clay. From a tender age, he knew he wanted to continue this.
However, he had to face much disapproval. Due to the caste system back then, people, and even his own family, did not like a Jya-poo man working as a sculptor. Nonetheless, he continued to make sculptures from clay, wood, bronze, stones, cement and other materials. With determination, he pursued his fine art studies in the Juddha Kala Campus (now Lalit Kala Campus) and became the first Nepali to graduate in sculpture.
He later underwent trainings in Patna, India, and also at the University of Oregon, USA. Then he worked at the Teachers Training Center. He carved several eminent sculptures – from relief portraits of King Mahendra, Bal Krishna Sama, Gandhi to life-size bust of the Buddha that he presented to the Museum of Fine Arts in Oregon, and the relief portrait with three Presidents of America – Bush, Lincoln, and Eisenhower, which is displayed in the White House.
“I taught my students how to teach arts and I even taught royal princes and princesses. But there were people who brought up the issue of my low caste to put me down,” says Jya-poo.
He shares how one of his students, a Brahmin, invited him to a feast at his place. The older people there did not allow him to eat with other guests in the kitchen, saying he was from the Jyapu community, and sent him down to eat on the ground floor.
“I was in tears that day, and so was my student,” says Jya-poo and adds in his strong voice, “That day, I decided I’d give up my last name Dangol and use Jya-poo instead.”
Since then, he has worked to prove that a Jya-poo can stand for more than a farmer clan, and he has upheld the meaning of the term “Jya” for art and “Poo” for completeness or perfection. He even named his principles on painting as Jya-poo keys that he published in his book, “Chitrakala Bidhan.”
For his contributions to art and society, Jya-poo has been given the title of Jyapu Ratna (Jyapu Jewel).
Besides, because Jya-poo also did modern sculpture, he was often ridiculed for being way too unconventional. His sculptures were symbolic, abstract, figurative, and he also experimented with cubism and nude sculptures.
“There were people who said I was shameless, but nude sculptures have been in our culture for very long. Look at the statues of the gods and goddesses. Just that my way of presentation was different,” he explains.Now, with his eminent sculptures scattered all over the world – from the Bhrikuti Mandap grounds in Kathmandu to The White House in Washington D.C, Jya-poo has come a long way with his love for and devotion to art. And he does not seem to be slowing down any soon. After all, like he says, he is just 83.
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