Painting the colours of life

Far from the romantic notions of a struggling artist, the field of fine arts has rapidly developed into a full-fledged, satisfying profession.

"Life is short, art endures..."

Hippocrates (c. 460-400 B.C.)

Greek philosopher.

ART in any form is moving and magical. It is a universal language, which colours everything with an indescribable beauty and magic. It is sometimes our only window into history. Though we may not be aware of it, art is all pervasive in our lives-from posters to hoardings to simple cereal box covers. Art is a necessary part of our lives. Art encompasses all the products and processes of human skill and imagination. The activity we call art is a technical process by means of which one depicts or represents the world and its people as he views it. Fine arts include drawing, painting and sculpture. Commercial art is the application of various art media for commercial purposes be it for advertisements, magazines, books, displays or posters. It is concerned with training artists in the planning and execution of advertising and publicity.

Of paints and chisels

Though the romantic notion of a struggling, nameless artist is long passi, a fickle fortune dictates that one have a regular income to support the creative muse. Fine arts is a multidimensional field, encompassing painting and sculptures of wood or stone carving; clay modeling; metal casting; ceramic design and pottery. Applied arts covers visualisation and animation. Not many artists are well established to make a living by painting and sculpting alone. Artists often create works of art to satisfy their own need for self-expression and display their work in museums and galleries, art collections or private homes. They do produce work on request of clients but not as exclusively as commercial artists. Painters usually work with two-dimensional art forms while sculptors design three- dimensional art forms. Modern sculptors use materials like fibre glass, white bronze and cement besides traditional material like clay, wood and stone.

The two outstanding types are free-standing sculpture and relief sculpture. Printmakers and graphic artists create printed images from designs cut into wood, stone or metal.

Applied arts is a relatively new area that has become very popular. Aimed at the visual media, it includes all aspects of commercial art, visualisation, illustrations, press layouts and photography. Commercial artists put their skills to use for commercial client advertising, design, publishing firms or corporations.

Design

A designer should rightfully speaking, combine the artistic talent and training with enough technical and business knowledge to appreciate the requirements of an industry. Designers work with a team of workers from different disciplines, both technical and business. Unlike artists, designers cannot afford to just please themselves: their ideas have to be adapted to fit in with the commercial and technical requirements.

Graphics

This work is concerned with lettering, illustration including photography, the design of symbols and logos. It also includes visual aids for industrial and educational application, TV graphics like captions, programme titles etc.

To begin with...

``Shall I tell you what I think are the two qualities of a work of art? First, it must be the indescribable, and second, it must be inimitable.''

Pierre Auguste Renoir

(1841-1914), French Impressionist.

A natural aptitude, an inherent talent and immense creativity coupled with formal training in an institution or under an expert can help polish your skills. There are any number of renowned institutions in the country which offer a bachelor of fine arts (BFA) and a masters degree programme besides certificate and diploma courses.

Eligibility for the BFA course is 10+2, and for the diploma, one should have cleared class 10th. One has to clear an entrance test which tests creative talent and aptitude. One perforce has to clear a bachelor's degree in fine arts to apply for MA. The time duration for a BFA course varies from four to five years, while the diploma courses range from two to three years. The masters degree is of two years duration.

The faculty of Fine Arts, MS University , Baroda offers a four- year BFA and also a two-year MFA course. Apart from these the faculty offers a number of courses in sculpture, painting and drawing. The Sir JJ school of Art, Mumbai has a four -year BFA course. The degree offered by Viswa Bharti, Shantiniketan , is of three years. Applied art / commercial art is on the curriculum list of many a college and institution and the duration of the diploma ranges from one to five years.

Future in relief

The field of fine arts is rapidly developing into a full- fledged profession providing employment to many a creative hand. Specialists can either work as freelancers (by taking up assignments for individuals, art houses, corporates or even public sector units) or can be employed as set designers by TV and film studios. They can also take up teaching art either at school, college or university level. Painters and sculptures can find excellent opportunities by working in tandem with architects, interior designers and other such professionals.

Commercial art specialists have a number of opportunities. They are good number of job openings available with art studios, advertising agencies and publishing houses. These people also find good work as freelancers with fashion houses and other such places, which need their kind of creative expertise. Graphic artists can work in typography and designing of posters and brochures. Today, conventional art forms are being increasingly aided and supplemented by integrating artistic skills, creativity and computer skills in various forms of applied arts to suit market demands. Specialisation in subjects like photography, visual communication design, graphic arts, lithography or multimedia will go a long way in enhancing prospects.

Art in all its variety of purposes, in all its fidelity to the multiple moods of the human nature, is essentially the same today as it was yesterday. Art is human, and there is no substitute for the vitality, which it should reflect and exhibit. Art, is more than description or 'reportage': it is an act of renewal. It renews vision, it renews language; but essentially it renews life itself by enlarging sensitivity, by making men more conscious of the beauty, the wonder of the possible forms of being.

PADMA RAMESH

padma.hyd@careercommunity.co.in