Art, India and Information

  Conceptual art – Freeing art from the tyranny of aesthetics!   Some examples of conceptual art by me!  One of the least understood genres of art is conceptual  art .  People  and   my  friends  mistake  it for contemporary  or modern art, but no … conceptual   art  is an entirely different genre.  It’s  like saying everything made of cheese is a pizza!  In fact  as the  reclusive  conceptual artist ,  Stanley Braun famously quipped  “ Conceptual  art is art freed from the tyranny of aesthetics!” I would like to add  freedom from shape, form, public sensibilities,  or anything to do with conventional art  form . Conceptual  art  is a  concept ,  a construct , an idea. So for the uninitiated, “ Conceptual  A rt ” really is an  idea  that the artist  wants  to bring forth ,  and hence the  concept behind the wo...

High culture is paranoid about sentiment. But human beings are intensely sentimental.”  - Thomas Kinkade. Thomas Kinkade understood that people connect with what is sentimental to them and what brings out a nostalgic feeling. For example, we buy the coffee mug with the Statue of Michelangelo's David on it because we’re reminded of that awe struck moment of gazing on such beauty for the first time. We cherish the Walt Disney figurine of Cinderella which reminds us of our childhood. Similarly, the Thomas Kinkade calendar we buy every year reminds us of family, hope and faith with each month’s peaceful scene. At our core, we are emotional people who want to connect with meaning and sentiment. Why then is kitsch considered cheap or low in art circles ? If all we do is dictated by emotions essentially and if emotion is what art brings out , then I guess kitsch has hit the bulls eye! If works of art were judged democratically--that is, according to how many people like them--kitsch would...

My water color art- "Tibetan Kid" Water color is one of the most common type of paintings. The only fundamental requirements for most juried shows are that the painting be done on paper, left unvarnished, and that the predominant medium be watercolor. Water colours are amazing and if you love hyper real paintings then the medium of choice is definitely water colours!!! Basically, almost anything goes when it comes to watercolour painting these days- landscapes, portraits, realistic, hyper realistic... anything ! Watercolor painting books too are easily available and even the most basic of them have got all the detailed information regarding all the technical points, step by step guidance which will guide beginners as well as professional painters.  Watercolor painting books guide you step by step. If the artist wants to use collage elements, stamps, sand, plant material, fabric or other materials, this is definitely a plus, but for beginners simple landscapes will be...

I recently did a nice oil painting piece, which overwhelmed my cousin so much , he begged me to write about the “beginners guide” to oil painting ! In fact , he said he was “ afraid” of it ! Strange, because oil painting is an amazing versatile medium, which can be applied in a thick buttery fashion or thinned down to a watery consistency. You can play with your oil paints, literally ! This opens the door to a number of different painting techniques. 1. My personal preference is to begin my oil paintings by first sketching out the composition using acrylic paint or with water-soluble oil paints. The popular approach to oil painting is to thin the paint with turpentine to apply the initial layers.  Turpentine is quite toxic and I prefer not to work with it. Acrylic or water-soluble oil paints can be thinned down with plain old water and are more pleasant to work with in my opinion. You can also begin your oil painting by first drawing out your composition in a red pencil and then fi...

Modern office decor has evolved from the boring, completely utilitarian look of yester-year to a more vibrant place that showcases the ethos and values of the company! With more executives enjoying and employing office styles that include either big canvases or photo walls or inspirational quotes etc,  the look of today’s boardrooms have changed and improved dramatically. In today’s business environment, motivational art has quickly become the darling of entrepreneurs. Why? Simply because it works! In short, motivational art canvases/posters/prints are drawings that carry an inspirational  message that corroborates with the vision and mission of the company . Therefore, to make the perfect office wall an artist needs to understand the company’s mission and vision and needs before embarking on this ! In the past, most professional offices were designed to keep the occupants focused solely on work with no distractions, hence the walls were kept bare and colours chosen were sombe...

Ni’ja Whitson is an interdisciplinary artist, performer, and writer based in Riverside, California. They are an Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of California Riverside. Whitson is Gender-nonconforming and uses the pronouns They/Them. Whitson focuses their work based on african Rituals, that aim to bring the Sacred onto the streets. They engage a nexus of postmodern and African Diasporic performance practices, through a critical intersection of gender, sexuality, race, and spirituality.  What intrests me the most about their work though, was how captivating it was. we were only able to see a snippet of their work in class due to time restraints, but, the Majesty and sheer Magnitude of concentration in their performance had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The simple movements, the dance, the voices, the music The magic of their performances is indescribable.  While not only being technically advanced, with well researched and meaningful performances...