The roots of India are deep down in both visual and vocal arts. Whether it is the cave art of Ajanta and Ellora or Sargam of music; Indian art has been continuously influencing the life and culture of its people. It is the Indian art that gave shape to its scientific advancement in Ayurveda. Even the whole culture is influencing by the different art forms of different times in India. Even different states of India were playing their own precious role in the development of art and culture regularly.
Artist expressions and learning from the art is no new thing for India, it was India that provided one of the largest epic Mahabharata in the form of poetic endeavor. The inception of art is not regulated from the known time in India but its seed is shown in eternity.
We find that there is so much diversity in both visual and vocal arts in the different regions in India that it surprises us. Understanding Indian art with their different period will allow us to understand the different cultures of India. It is very necessary that Indian artistic culture should be studied period-wise for the better understanding of the art and culture as well as adding the factual historical incidents with them.
Art for cultural and psychological understandings
The life of an artist evolves more when they are connected with the cultural heritage and Vikash Kalra’s works are more of cultural understanding of art with time than the shear learning from school books. Different locations of India are still telling the stories of artistic evolution behind the scene. It only needs a person who can search and understand the whole scene and give it a reliable medium for the next 1000 years.
Modern contemporary art is more or less a byproduct of the ancient art culture. When we understand this fact and accept it with our open arms then we initiate a journey towards the more understanding of our contemporary artworks. Neglecting old art style or ignoring their techniques and tricks will not help us in any ways. If we neglect them and do not try to learn from them then we shall have to start from the beginning and that will block the advancement. It would not be development for the art world instead it becomes time bounded evolution which will completely depend upon the time to get developed.
As a sane human being, an artist should try to put value from the past artistic values of other artists as well as it is compulsory for an artist that he should learn not only from the ancestors, mentors, and cultural art but also from his own previous works.
Subjects from the masters
Here, a question arise- what if an artist find his technique and style differ from the ancient style and technique? Well, there are many other things that will help him to develop his own style by studying those old paintings and artworks. It is not necessary to copy the old style but develop your own by studying them. It is about inspiring not copying. If an artist look upon an old art then he may find some inspirations which he can use in his next painting but if he doesn’t even look on the old artistic style and techniques then he will be not introduced to those things and he will have to explore his own way for a very long time. It will seem like inventing something which is already invented.
An artist development doesn’t start from the point of his art practice instead it starts from the moment when he start researching the techniques and style of the masters and try to put those styles and techniques in his own ways in his own artworks to create something new, something inspiring and modern.
Vikash Kalra is a self-taught artist and writer based in New Delhi whose work has been exhibited across India and is held in several private and corporate collections.