'Artists can grow if they make use of opportunities'

An artist can grow tremendously in the field of art and also have a good future, provided the artist makes use of the opportunities that come his way, opined Kannada and Culture Department Commissioner K R Ramakrishna.

Inaugurating an art camp ‘Naadha Kalaanudi’ at Sahodaya on Saturday, he said that an artist needs motivation and inspiration. The artists who have made use of opportunities have got national and state level fame and their art works are being sold at impressive prices. Hence, young artists can be sure that they can have good future in art, he said.

Senior Artist K Pundalik Shenoy was felicitated on the occasion. “An artist should draw inspiration from nature and his surroundings and try incorporate it in his art. Only then, he can grow artistically,” he said.

The two-day art camp has been jointly organised by Department of Archeology and Museums, Kannada and Cultural Department and Karavali Chitrakala Chawadi. The programme was presided over by Chawadi President Koti Prasad Alva.As many as 34 artists took part in the camp and created art works on theme ‘Karavali Culture’.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Artist Sapna Noronha said that art camps are of great help. “We can learn from each other, share skills, ideas and techniques and understand each others perspectives,” she said.

Artist Dinesh Holla said that he tried to recreate the Coastal culture with his painting Aati Kalinja. “Today with modernisation, tradition seems to be disappearing. My painting is an effort to revive tradition,” he said.

The artists had put up impressive art works such as Veena Srinivas who recreated the excitement of playing 'Chenne Mane' with her Kavi Kala painting.

Narayan Erekal incorporated the Karavli's Dhundi Kunitha in Warli art. Yakshagana, Kambla, tiger dance were some among other paintings on display.

Seminar

Hastha Gallery Projects (Bangalore) Curator and Art Critic Nemiraj Shetty spoke on ‘Artworks and how it evolved since time’.

He spoke on important paintings that are remembered down history. ‘Les Demoiselles d'Avignon,’ (Women of Avignon) by Pablo Picasso, where he depicts a brothel made history. This 20th century painting changed the world and left lasting impression on cinema, architecture, literature, he said.

This painting made history as Picasso broke away from the subject. When all used to paint grandeur, he painted a brothel. When all painted classical beauty, he painted ugliness. He brought in the concept of geometry and created visual language, he said.

Speaking on Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper, Shetty pointed out that Vinci created a perfect perspective of looking at things. The painting gave a person a visual as if he is viewing through a looking glass. He brought in an aesthetic beauty that made the painting a masterpiece, he said.

“An artist needs to look back to know what has been done to understand what needs to be done,” he concluded.