What better way to encapsulate a sculptor s journey than through his art? Encrypting art in words is indeed a daunting task and though language can be a ready facilitator, words often fall short and can rarely measure up to an artist s vast and immeasurable oeuvre. Prem Singh, former Principal of Government College of Art, Chandigarh, himself an artist of no less mettle, follows Sebastyne Young s axiom, A picture can tell a thousand words, but a few words can change its story. Thus, the artistic might of noted sculptor Kewal Krishan Kamra, the subject of his book, is not elucidated in verbosity, but conciseness. Certainly, Singh offers an incisive and elaborate essay describing in detail Kamra s technique and his aesthetic sensibilities. Singh tells us how the artist, who was born in Fazilka in 1953, stumbled upon the unusual grip and squeeze technique accidentally. In quest of a new expression, while Kamra was tossing clay in his hands during his masters at MS University, Baroda, the Eureka moment came. Thereafter, whatever may be the medium, the fountainhead of inspiration was sourced in the same technique. No wonder, Singh muses, Art happens. How it transforms into objet d art is evident as much in Singh s interpretation as the images that embellish the book. And we soak into the poetry and rhythm that define each and every sculpture of this distinguished artist, whose works adorn the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, and who learnt from the very best in the field. If figurative works, be it recurring subjects such as Mother and Child or Soul Mates , speak vividly, even semi-abstract compositions such as Exhilaration communicate visibly. The language of lyricism is all but immanent. Master of many mediums, he has had an affinity for wood in particular. Perhaps because Kamra spent five years at the Government Art College, which was then located in Shimla where the medium was most readily available. But his dexterity in marble, particularly metal, is equally palpable. His control over not-so-malleable mediums is striking and manifests in more than one creation cast in aluminium and bronze. Invariably, Kamra optimises the concept of sculptured hole, not exactly a new artistic phenomenon but one which he puts to alluring use. The hole not only adds a definite visual appeal but also creates a fine balance between positive and negative space. As Singh writes, A hole in the sculpture creates an abstract exploration of mass over space. While underlining Kamra s journey from Fazilka to Shimla to Baroda, Singh employs an academic language and does not care to ornament it with unwarranted trivia. Some personal details are revealed, especially what Kamra s full name stands for and how being an artist 50 years ago was not a cakewalk but a challenge, both creatively and at the micro level. In the initial years of life, Kamra supported his education by selling lottery tickets and woodcraft articles. However, the book is more of an artistic summation of an artist by an artist. Not something you can have quibbles with. Nor with the fact that more than words, in the largely pictorial book, it is pictures that speak. But the book certainly called for a heavy hand of editing as more than one error strike a jarring note in an endeavour that can be of considerable value to students of art.