Modern art and its ways.

Art has existed for many years now and it has been evolving ever since it was termed. So has modern art. The art form is constantly moulded like a chunk of clay.

Modern art denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of experimentation. Modern artists experimented with new ways of seeing and with fresh ideas about the nature of materials and functions of art. A tendency toward abstraction is characteristic of much modern art. More recent artistic production is often called Contemporary art or Postmodern art.

I’ve spent days disliking modern art, with no reason whatsoever. So I took up the challenge of studying it in a deeper level. Trying to figure out where it stands in our country. The art in our country is defined and fleshed out by its rich culture. Modern art pushed its way through with the help of political controversies and the cultural sphere was highly politicized. In my opinion if its going to thrive with the support of politics, its going to last long. At the same time while many stuck to indigenous methods the others practiced ways of artists outside India.

As long as art is used to pass a message and drill it into many narrow minded heads I have a good feeling about it. Now looking at modern art and seeing how it might thrive in the coming years excites me.

I want to see what would last in the longer run. People are made of emotions and needs. Art is the expression of suppressed and embossed emotions. But in our country not many people even bother understanding the art they’re bidding on. It’s rather sad.

Study states that most people think owning art is something that would enhance their status in society. But that is not the true meaning of art. In my opinion I would call it dying art. Not because it doesn’t exist but the true value of it cannot be measured by people who just “own” it. 

Within the burgeoning art scene, artists introduced themselves as modern and secular practitioners. Were they trying to fit in? Or were just trying to adapt to changing times and art forms.

Most of the modern artists focused on erotic and religious paintings that were informed by a variety of styles including cubism, expressionism, surrealism and primitivism.

Upon first looking at the work of a number of modern Indian artists, there seems little to differentiate their imagery from art made in other parts of the world. Yet their cultural heritage does affect their work, even if it is not apparent.

Photography wasn’t to far behind. Photographers like Ebrahim Alkazi and Raghubir Singh proved that modern photography was all about a keen eye and how you place things in a picture. They published books and made modern photography something that every Indian could now experience.

Modernism itself is a very voluminous subject that it thickened by layers of theories. Which makes my opinion different from anyone else’s.

I am also looking the work of artists like Maqbool Fida Hussain and Jamini Roy. When I compare this to the work of artists like Raja Ravi Verma for example I see how they have tried to make sure that there’s no similarity. But if you go closer you realize that even Raja Ravi Verma was highly influenced by the European methods of oils.

My definition of modern art in India would be- when art is influenced by art from other countries and the reduction in the use of cultural references from their own country it becomes modern art”.

At the end I want to see how people would react if I combined both modern art forms with traditional Indian art.