No, no, i am not from Mumbai. No reference hence to any local train. Yes, i am an Arts student, and i am fond of that moniker. Yet the blog title does not refer to my academic inclinations. Well, as it happens to be a day dedicated to 'Arts', i thought, may be, i would discuss a few unique aspects of the arts. Hence the title!
Take any form of any art, and i can guarantee you it would be, it has to be, unique. How about an example? Well, the old beggar woman and her flea-eaten dog at the street corner may not evoke everyone's empathy, but her portrait by a master artist can fetch lakhs of rupees, though not even the famous five per cent thereof would reach her!
Yes, most all wax eloquent about the world renowned artists. No psued would ever dare to appreciate the roadside art masters, right? Have you seen the rangoli patterns that really make the way these days whenever there is any 'special' occasion? Wonderful they are in their own unique way, though absolutely ephemeral!
How about the roadside music makers, both of the vocal and the instrumental variety? These contemporary Eklavya's at times surpass their 'record' masters, right? And yes they are never merely the HMV's!
How about the minor artists whom no connoisseur would 'archive' or 'curate', for instance? Have you admired, for example, the way an idol is decorated? Tough work it is, always flawlessly executed though. Can absolutely make an atheist believe in the deity!
How about the chef artists who can carve a rabbit out of a cucumber, for instance, and so perfectly that a committed non-vegetarian may give up his greed! Oh, are you thinking that i am trivialising art? Absolutely no way!
My simple submission is that art, in every form, even when not celebrated by the chatterati whom T.S.Eliot so aptly described as "in the room, women come and go/talking of Michael Angelo", is creativity and joy.
In my opinion, hence, art is everywhere, in contemporary computer aided designs, in minor arts such as rangoli patterns drawn on water as Aai could, in a neat small little garden, in a home warm and well-maintained, in food lovingly cooked, in a lesson well taught, in a life well lived, right?
May be, these examples signify yet another characteristic of a good artist. A genuine artist, like everything real, be it beauty, love or brilliance, is never self-conscious nor self-obsessed neither showy. In fact, the best art never needs to draw attention to itself, right? It just blooms in every aspect of its existence, right?
It IS 'coz it is NOT, in brief, if paradox is your style! Well, be it a journalist or a translator, so is she, the best when she is the translucent glass pane/pen between the reality and the news, between the text and its version in yet another language. Like the glory of a star lit night that just fills your soul with wonder and divinity, art simply is, and makes you a better version of yourself every minute!
Pratima@ Art is truth/art is beauty/of lives uncouth/it withers away cruelty!
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