Good Art Comes in Small Frames

Art is certainly not for the rich alone, it is no luxury but a dire necessity for large numbers of people — wrote K C S Paniker, founder of Cholamandal Artists’ Village, in a brochure for a small format exhibition back in 1971. ‘Small sized pictures and sculptures if priced low can reach a large art loving public and eventually help create a genuine boom for art,’ the article read. 

After over four decades, these same words appeared in the brochure of the ongoing exhibition Micro Trends at Cholamandal Artists’ Village. According to Manisha Raju, one of the participating artists, the thoughts are still relevant. “Today, the world is shrinking, houses have limited space. So most prefer having small artworks to suit their interiors,” reasons Manisha. “Apart from that, the show, which includes artworks that are within the 15X15 inches , are less expensive. This gives the opportunity for middle class people and the common man, and not just the elite and creamy layer of society, to afford original pieces of works,” says the artist, who is known to explore self dialogue through her works that include faces of gods, goddesses and humans in a meditative state.

Another participating artist, Raju Durshettiwar, whose works depict architectural patterns, says the only difference between doing art works in a small or general format is the scope of freedom to move one’s brush on the canvas. Besides that, the impact of the paintings is the same, as it is the content that matters and not the size, he says.

The exhibition titled Micro Trends is presented by Progressive Painters Association,  and has works of around 25 artists, including well-known names like S G Vasudev and Venkatapathy D, Viswanadhan V and Senathipathi M among others, on display till April 9 at Labernum and Indigo Galleries, Cholamandal Centre for Contemporary Art, Cholamandal Artists’ Village, Injambakkam. Contact 24490092