Art grows, awareness follows

While new art galleries are opening up each month, art aficionados feel appreciation of true art is still developing in the city.
Art is admittedly a growing medium, and the city is putting its best foot forward to promote homegrown and experienced artists in the city by opening up new art galleries.
The mushrooming of these new art galleries is a definite indicator that art is a growing medium.With social networking media making it that much easier for the artists to access the public, by posting some of their work online and gaining instant feedback, there is a growing market for art in the city.
While artists are getting better recognition and there is better awareness now, Coimbatore is yet to have art critics and buyers are still an elite few.
“We opened a new art gallery in the heart of the city earlier this month, and there has been a fair share of people who have come in to our gallery to take a look at the paintings and artwork done by 25 artists from all over the country and abroad, many out of curiosity. We have displayed a combination of contemporary, historic and realistic paintings, which have attracted art enthusiasts from different walks of life,” says D Chitty Babu, local artist and an art lecturer at a city college.
While there is a better understanding of the nuances of art due to better public awareness, purchase is still limited. “It is true that people still think twice about buying paintings, and normally opt for paintings of landscapes, temples and the likes, which they can display on their home walls as these paintings are relatively cheaper,” Chitty Babu points out.
However, the mushrooming of online forums for artists and the social networking media are making it that much easier for the general public to access quality artwork.
“Modern art galleries which showcase attractive paintings of popular artists from the country and abroad, and update some of the work online attract more youth and genuine art aficionados to visit and make an attempt to understand the finer points of art. Besides, some of the artists are personally accessible at the gallery, and the public gets an opportunity to interact directly with them and clarify their doubts,” quips N Padmaraj, senior artist and art lecturer, who is the curator of a new art gallery at R S Puram.
These galleries have given an opportunity to both amateur and senior professional artists to display their work, instead of being restricted to limited art exhibitions which have a mixed response.
“My creative artwork is on display at a newly opened art gallery in the city, and there are over 90 paintings of 25 artists, both professionals and amateurs on display. While art appreciation will take it’s time to develop in the city, owing to busy schedules and low levels of marketing, our work is still recognized. People come in to the gallery, look at the artist’s name and, if popular enough, choose to buy their work. There is a lot of pride associated with art, and the number of new art galleries, apart from the online media will slowly give artists the recognition they deserve,” opines V Jeevananthan, eminent artist and award-winning author.
It may take it’s time to pick up as a business, but there is no denying the fact that Kovai is beginning to warm up to art, with exhibitions and documentaries reviving the medium.
vaibhav.shastry@timesgroup.com