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ShareMumbai: The art world has been in ferment and it's not only about the big names. With the market turning more egalitarian, unknown artists too are finding new avenues to sell their works, finds DNA
In the 1960s, fine art was no one's idea of a great career choice. But Narendra Pawaskar, fresh out of school, had decided that art was his calling. At the same time, his love for art did not blind him to the need to make a living. So he enrolled at the JJ School of Art for an Art Master Certificate course and landed a job as a drawing teacher in the school in which he had himself studied in Thane. "I taught children during the school term and did my own work during the summer vacation," says Pawaskar, who is now retired but trains students for JJ School's Common Entrance Test.
That was then. Today, Swapnil Pednekar, 30, who graduated from JJ School nine years ago, is starting his own design studio. His first attempt at running a studio in partnership with a friend and classmate failed but this did not discourage him.
Art has always been a dicey destiny to follow. But today it is finding new patrons, new avenues and new mediums. The artist, too, is being reinvented. There is money to be made and fun to be had in the field.
Pednekar, like many other JJ undergraduates, got his first commercial break while still in college. "After graduation I did work with Crest and other design/animation studios but I always wanted to do something of my own. Experience told me there is enough money in freelance work. That's what inspired me to start a design studio," he recalls.
The artist today makes murals, statues, wood carvings, paintings and does dry flower arrangement for interior decorators and architects. A project can bring in anywhere between Rs5,000 and Rs1 lakh, depending on its size. There was a time when art was the prerogative of the rich, now it has many takers -- individual homes, corporates, hotels, restaurants, malls -- all looking for a something new and different.
Even calligraphy, when used imaginatively, now finds buyers. Calligrapher Achyut Palav uses his skills on fabrics, umbrellas, glass ware and murals."My experience is that people are willing to try new things. You just have to make art accessible. I even design the art work in homes. I use calligraphy on their walls, and even cupboards," says Palav, who commands more than Rs30,000 per assignment.
Pawaskar missed these options in his youth. Few shops or restaurants used art to embellish their walls. Most of his contemporaries taught in schools or art colleges. Pawaskar also worked with the Directorate of Art, Maharastra as an art inspector for state-run schools.
Today the art market is far more egalitarian. "Everyone wants a piece of art these days," says Shikha Kumar, 26, a painter, who also supplies her work to art galleries and malls. Walk into any middle-range departmental store and you can spot a section selling paintings and murals for Rs350 onwards.
"There is a huge art market which caters to a different audience," says interior designer Umesh Shah, who scouts and collects works of upcoming artists from across India. Shah's office is a treasure trove of art -- murals, wood carvings, and paintings -- which he buys in bulk. "My clients, which are mostly restaurants and hotels, prefer typical Indian scenery: Rajasthani women, elephant parade and so on. Many artists are willing do such work for me," says Shah.
Interestingly, art is no longer limited to traditional art galleries.
Restaurants, hotels and malls often double up as art galleries. Shilpi Parekh, proprietor of a well-known chain of restaurants in the city, says she visits galleries and picks up whatever catches her fancy and has a resale value. "Customers are allowed to buy them but they have to be known to me," she says.
That's not all. Smaller art galleries too have started stocking new artists. Painted Rhythm at Santa Cruz is one such example. "When we started 20 years back, we had only one kind of buyer -- the one who understands and appreciates art. Now we have those who buy art because they instinctively like a painting or appreciate the colours," says Kanti Gala of Painted Rhythm.
Yet, some question the effect of all this commercialisation on the art itself. Artist Prashant Prabhu for instance is aghast at how art which is an expression of the self can be created mainly with a sales motive. Pednekar rationalises: "There is always a tug-of-war between your idea of art and what the client wants. But you have to find a common ground. There is some work you do for your stomach and some for your soul. I have been working on my own collection of paintings and murals, which I plan to exhibit in 2012.
I have complete freedom with creativity there."
Most aspiring artists today have understood the needs of the market. Sculptor Rupali Madan has been balancing her 'own kind of work' with commercial realities. "I make terracotta Ganeshas, miniature pottery and other knick-knacks for Mumbai stores," says Rupali. "Meanwhile I continue doing my own work. I have already had a few shows and sold my sculptures for Rs35,000 upwards."
Pawaskar finds this approach refreshing and is happy to see artists strike a balance between commerce and creativity. "It is a good change. It is, in many ways, the fruit of what we did to popularise art," he says.
