Small beginnings.......

It's been a while since my friend Ajit Prakash, a final year PhD student at NTU started an online art store which we call Chitrankan- www.chitrankan.in . I wrote an article about this venture. I hope the message gets across to art patrons.

Why folk art??

Artistic expression is a very basic human trait. Man has been known to practise art since pre-historic times. In contemporary times, people generally associate art with abstract and conceptual visuals, often layered with heavy symbolism and technique. In contrast, tribal art, otherwise also known as folk or indigenous art, is basically a minimalistic expression of the commonalities of everyday tribal life, shorn of any form of gimmicks or glamor. Some don’t even consider it art, and delegate tribal artists to the status of “artisans”.

But when you delve deeper, and perceive the essence of folk art, you begin to see how simple, beautiful, effective, informative and in some cases even chic, it is. And be it the intricate details of a Madhubani painting, or the robust vivacity of Worli art, or the earthy, everyday themes of Gond art, the one common factor that binds these expressions is the timeless quality of this form of art. Since ages, these paintings have served as emissaries of history, drawing richly from our ancient myths and epics. They record the unique traditions of tribal groups from distant regions of India and serve as cultural beacons. They also serve to break established notions of how art is to be perceived. Above all, they stand as a unique and powerful medium of expression of the trials and tribulations of marginalized tribal life, as well as a kaleidoscopic view of the fine nuances of their traditions and culture. 

Here in Chitrankan.in, we recognize this, and with great empathy and utmost respect to these so called “artisans”, we aim to help lesser known tribal artists from certain villages in India to showcase their work and earn a better living. We aim to make Chitrankan a niche platform, where we sell tribal art prints at affordable rates to art patrons around the globe. We hope that our endeavour will support these talented artists and popularize folk art.

One of my biggest dream: see Van Gogh and Monet at the Met and MoMA

         I've always wanted to visit New York. Of course who doesn't? But for me, the vision of beholding the Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty or being overwhelmed at the Grand Central Terminal or the Times Square or looking at Brooklyn Bridge is in no way more profound than seeing an original Van Gogh or Monet at the Met or the MoMA. A Picasso here and there would also be nice ;)

Here are the paintings I'm dying to see at the Metropolitan Museum of Art:

                       Blind Man's Meal
                             Picasso
Because I'm more into his Blue Period paintings than when he became a truly Modern artist.

The Third Class Carriage
Honoré Daumier
Because just looking at this painting, the word "squalor" and "pathos" are personified.

                                                Vincent Van Gogh
                                     Self Portrait with straw hat
Because...it is the master himself....

    Jules Bastien-Lepage

    Joan of Arc
Because, it intrigues me...the visions in her mind, the lost, almost "carried away" look in her face ....

Madame Georges Charpentier

Auguste Renoir
Because no one can make portraits of people come alive the way Renior does...you keep guessing what's on their minds

Shoes

Vincent Van Gogh
Because Van Gogh drew those shoes...period.

The Water Lily Pond

Claude Monet 

Because he is the greatest of the Impressionists...one I have admired since I was a kid and was learning the effect of light bouncing off of objects .                                                                                                                                          

Bain à la Grenouillère

Claude Monet
Beacase of the way the water ripples, and the overall composition of the painting that has been done in seemingly effortless strokes.

                  The Little fourteen year old dancer
                                     Edgar Degas
Because I read somewhere that the young ballerina almost looks like she is ready to spring and start dancing....

Water Lilies
Claude Monet
I don't need a reason to look at Monet...especially when he paints Water Lilies

 The Harvesters
               Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Because I was so intrigued by this guy after I saw " Museum Hours", an exquisite, subtle movie on how art reflects life...

Wheat Field with Cypresses at the Haute Galline Near Eygalieres

Van Gogh

Because no other artist can paint a sky like that, and make tress sway like that....  

And finally, my favorite, which is in the MoMA....

    

                                       Needs no introduction....The Starry Night...by Van Gogh

And was just curious to look at the provenance of this world famous painting, and looking at it, I wonder how many countless people would have laid eyes on it, marvelling at the sheer brilliance, technique and inimitable style of this very disturbed artist, who shot himself at the age of 37, never to know how famous these very paintings would make him one day. What an absolute irony.

Provenance

Owner	City	Country	Date acquired	Comments
Theo van Gogh	Paris	France	1889-91
Johanna van Gogh-Bonger	Amsterdam	Netherlands	1891-1905
Oldenzeel Gallery	Rotterdam	Netherlands	1905-06
Miss G.P. van Stolk	Rotterdam	Netherlands	1906-38	On loan to Museum Boymans, Rotterdam, until May 1924.
Paul Rosenburg Art Gallery	New York	United States	1938-41
Museum of Modern Art	New York	United States	1941	Acquired through the L.P. Bliss bequest.

Just looking at this brief list, I'm breathless with part anticipation, part sheer gratitude to the Cold Spring Harbor Conference due to which I have this exceptionally wonderful opportunity to go to New York and visit these hallowed spaces called museums and above all be in the presence of some of the greatest art in the world.

Why I love Folk Art III: Heidi Lange and her unique take on African and Viking art on Batik

                     Consider this. A lady with German origins with a Swedish heritage, who fell in love with the Masai tribe in Kenya, and linked the everyday life of the Masai tribes with the Laps in Lapland, from back home in Sweden, and began a unique tribal art form based on these two tribal folklore and traditions, on batik tie-dyed silk screens- That's the UNESCO awarded artist Heidi Lange for you!

                     It is one thing when such folk art comes from the indigenous people of such marginalized cultures, completely another when an outsider, inspired by the traditions, lifestyles, folklore and customs of such tribes, embarks on a mission to create her own artwork. Today, Lange has not only won several awards for her unique work, she has exhibited her prints and paintings in several countries and has also made her artwork available to the general masses as souvenirs and low-cost memorabilia.

                     My tryst with her work was in Gamla Stan, the old quarter of Stockholm, when I'd been there in 2013. In a touristy street, rather bylane, tucked between two souvenir stores, was a tiny shop with displays of her work. Amidst the loud tackiness of the other colorful souvenirs, the prints and paintings of Heidi Lange caught my undivided attention. Her frequent motifs are moose, set in various formats and designs, as well as Viking ships. At that time, I had no inkling of who she was, and also that she sold African based art. The batik printed silkscreens I bought were these:

The other works of hers can be accessed here:

http://www.heidilange.com/commercial.html

Images of Vikings in Lapland with lots of moose motifs:

After I returned from Stockholm, I sat down to research her work, and the moment the Masai art showed up, I was hooked. There are beautiful renditions of just busts of women:

And other works abound in pastoral life:

Can African art be complete without it's flora, fauna and masks?

A true inspiration!

Why I love folk art II: Tara Books and the art of making handbound books in traditional folk art

   Ok.....this one is a piece on something that really, I mean really swept me off my feet. A few days back, I was browsing through Flipboard, and reading an article on Indian tribal/folk/indigenous art. A link led me to discover an independent publishing house based in Chennai, called Tara Books, founded by a lady named Gita Wolf. Now, what she does has been something I myself have been wanting to do since a long time, given my absolute love and fascination for Indian Folk Art. Not only does Tara Books bring to light amazing art works in the form of illustrated books by marginalized, little known tribal artists representing the various tribal art forms in India, like Madhubani, Gond, Warli, Kalamkari etc, it also employs local workers to turn these illustrated stories into handbound books!! Now that, I say, is sheer brilliance. I am so so impressed!!

      

     It is amazing, rather so inspiring and heartening to see people giving a boost to this cottage industry that deals in indigenous art. And wait till you see the stunning works of these artists. Hailing from little villages, harboring an insularity that is the very source of their genius, and wielding brushes that produce intricate, detailed portraits and vignettes from our Hindu epics, oral stories and their bordered lives, these artists and their works are a joy to behold, as well as a testimony to the beauty and simplicity of these marginalized art forms.   

Have a look at this video to appreciate the art of making handbound books:

http://www.tarabooks.com/about/media-gallery/

Also, the sheer beauty and resonance of some of the art works in the illustrated books left me spellbound.

"Alone in the Forest" by Gond artist Bhajju Shyam.

The Night Life of Trees: Gond art by Bhajju Shyam

"Gobble you up": Mandana traditional art by Sunita

The London Jungle Book: Gond art by Bhajju Shyam

Drawing from the city: Gond art by Tejubehan

Waterlife: Madhubani art by Rambharos Jha

Hope is a Girl selling Fruit: Madhubani art by Amrita Das

                     

                         A long, long time ago, my art teacher, late Mr Venkat, had introduced me to Madhubani art. His descriptions about these slowly disappearing art forms had created a special interest in my mind. Although quite interested to pursue this art form by actually going to the Madhuban region of India, also referred to as Mithilanchal or Mithila, and finds mention in the great Indian Epic Ramayana, I have yet to see this cherished dream come true. But as is with things, when you desire something, you do stumble across ways to achieve it. That opportunity came my way through a fellow- Phd mate, now my best friend, Ajit Prakash, who happens to be from Darbhanga, which falls in the Madhubani District in Bihar, India. He too expressed an interest in this art form, as distant relatives of his have been doing this since a long time. We have plans of creating a startup to employ these little known artists, who are mostly women, and give them a better platform to not just give them a steady and decent source of income, but also make this art form more popular and appreciated. At the moment, we have created an e-commerce website that is called " Chitrankan, The Indian Art Store" (www.chitrankan.in). But the idea is still in it's inception, and may take a while to be on the floor as we are too busy to take time off from our PhDs to pursue this full time. But I'm glad it's happening finally.