Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath gets art its due in marketplace

Kumara Krupa Road, leading up to the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, was packed on Sunday. On either side of the road, art works were placed on display. Many artists were present to offer explanations and aid potential buyers.

The crowds were milling about, and it was evident that there is no dearth of interest in painting and fine arts in the city. On display were acrylic, oil, water colour and fabric paintings. There were different genres that buyers could choose from.

Artists who had gathered at the Chitra Santhe this year, however, felt that business was not quite as brisk as last year. However, there were also those who felt that many people would walk up and down the street a few times, looking at the works on display and zeroing in on what to buy, a process that would take a few hours. So sales, artists said, would pick up in the evening.

Umaimakthiyar, whose abstract art work was on display, felt that buyers were, in the main, not the particularly sophisticated — they look for something cheap, and they are thinking of their walls at home, not the painting, he feels.

“People come, take a look, and start bargaining!” He exclaims, feeling a little diminished for having to encounter that kind of response to his hard work. So much effort goes into each painting that we create, and there is just no question of bringing prices down,” he says.

“At the Chitra Santhe, most of the people go by the cheerfulness or the colour. The finer details of mixing colours, balancing… no one seems to understand those,” said Umaimakthiyar, adding that each painting offers a little story, but there are few willing to stay for a while and listen.

“Such a space offers an artist little satisfaction. That’s the difference between an event like this one and a gallery—in a gallery exhibition, people will walk in and also be eager to interact with the artist, hear him speak of his work. But then, this is a chance to earn money,” reasoned Umaimakthiyar.

Aruna BS and Anil V, who had put up a stall with ceramic art work, looked forward to better sales later in the day. “This time of year is perhaps not the best time for the Chitra Santhe,” they said. “Maybe sales would be better if the stall were put up in the end of December, when people are also shopping for gifts,” they suggested.

Students of Chitrakala Parishath, College of Fine Arts, also had paintings on display and for sale. Ashish Jain, a student of applied arts, said, “Last year, the Santhe found a more enthusiastic response.”

MK Shankarlinge Gowda, administrator, Chitrakala Parishath, said, “People walk around and take a look at all that is available, and then settle on something to buy much later in the day. So sales are likely to pick up later.”

Gowda said that there was an exclusive space for the established artists this year, a feature that was special to this year’s Santhe. This year, 800 artists from within the state participated. There were also nearly 500 artists from outside the state.