Artist Shivaram, whose paintings are up for sale at the Affordable Art Show in Vinnyasa Premier Art Galery, says that the show has been set up at a profitable time, as there is an increase in the number of buyers during summer. “There are a lot of tourists who visit Chennai during summer, since it is vacation time. They also find time to visit the galleries and buy some paintings,” he adds.
However, not all artists voice the same opinion. Udaya Shankar, a curator and an artist, says that summer does not bring more revenue to artists. In fact, it is a dull phase and there are fewer art shows in the period between the end of April and July. He says that there are no major art shows in the city, barring the affordable art show that is conducted every year during summer. Owing to the hot weather and summer holidays in schools, people go on vacations to relatively colder places and there are fewer buyers. “This dull period will continue until June end,” he predicts.
Another reason that the artists cite for the reduction in sale until July is the start of a new academic year. Families need to allot funds for paying the school fees and buying art takes a backseat, they say. “So, there is always a lull during this time and we artists use this gap to work on our ideas or even take a vacation,” explains Manisha Raju, another artist from the city. Seconding Udaya Shankar’s opinion, she adds that the number of shows will begin to increase starting from July, and this has been the trend for years now. “But there is some sale, as May is also the season for marriages. Some of our paintings are bought to be given as presents. So it is not too bad, after all,” she says.