A Da Vinci at Shyambazar 5 Point Crossing and what it says about creativity

There is a Da Vinci sculpture at Shyambazar 5 point traffic crossing in Calcutta. No, I am not mad, and yes, I am referring to the Subhas Bose statue, and I am saying it is a genuine Da Vinci, sort of.

Statue of Subhash Bose at Shyambazar Five Point Crossing in Calcutta

Of course, Leonardo did not sculpt the Shubhas Bose statue himself, he died in 1519, and Netaji statue was erected in 1969. But Nagesh Yoglekar, the sculptor of the Shymabazar Netaji statue, was remarkably faithful to Da Vinci’s sketch of Sforza Monument (1482), and the wonderful thing is that he was not even aware of this.

Da Vinci’s sketch of Sforza Monument (never executed)

Yoglekar got his inspiration from John Foley’s bronze statue of Outram (1861) which was once displayed prominently near Park Street/ Chrowringee crossing, and now has been consigned to the back garden of Victoria Memorial, carefully tucked away from the public gaze. It was Foley who ‘plagiarised’ Da Vinci. Plagiariser then himself got plagiarised.

John Foley’s bronze statue of Outram, circa 1861. Originally it was located near Park Street. Now it languishes at the back garden of the Victoria Memorial

But, the important thing to note is that this is how ideas travel across time and space, so the story is unremarkable in that sense. Imitation is one of the key ingredients of creativity. What is remarkable is that we are able to trace the progress of this particular creative artefact from Milan to London and then ultimately to Calcutta.