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In post-liberalization phase many young artists
are experimenting with new genres. Though it is too early to tell as
who among the many will stand the test of time, one cannot however
miss the new vibrancy that is being observed in the artists who were
born not only after
independence
but also after the emergency
period of 1971.
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Arpita
Basu (left) paints in muralistic forms, without spatial reality |
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Sudip Roy is a realist like
so many other
realists of Bengal
(right) |
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Jayashree Chakravarti paints
both in abstract
and traditional mode (left) |
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Shantanu Maity (left) create new styles which are part
abstract and part folk-art. |
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Liberalization
of Indian economy has given a tremendous boost to art in India, as it
opened the gates to foreign auction houses as well as the scope for
Indian artists to showcase their works outside. Indian traditional
art-forms are suddenly being seen as exotic. The whole new interest in
Indian art is therefore making Indian artists think much differently
than what artists used to think early.
Three distinct trends in art are being observed now.
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The
first is the vanishing distinction between dimensions in art.
Thus we see the juxtaposition of paintings alongside sculpted
pieces and even video and audio recordings. Though in a way it
is an extension of
collages
, appliqués and then
installations, the new generation of works are much bolder. Artists like Dipayan Ghosh and Sandip Sarkar have put in myriad forms and material
together to create their unique uncategorized works. Chittrobhanu
Majumdar has put video recordings juxtaposed against myriad
three-dimension objects for expression
The problem with these forms of art is
however that they can be appreciated only in the gallery space
and they remain too much contextual.
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Installation art of
Chittrobhanu Majumdar |
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Such art cannot be put for domestic use or for restoration.
The second trend that is being observed
is the following of market demand. This is a wrong trend as
young artists, following the inflow of money in the market,
are reproducing similar looking sellable products. The rise in
abstract works which can be made easily by some special
technique is a ramification of this trend. But not all
abstract art is similar. There are a
few artists who are making newer types of abstract works too
like Subrata Kundu.
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Abstract art work
by Subrata Kundu |
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The third is
the unbroken trend since time immemorial, of searching for an
individual style. Liberalization of the economy has in this
case only helped the artists with the exposure of the
international trends. Armed with such exposure artists are now
creating new idoms of expression. Some even have succeeded in
coming out with such original styles that they are being
referred to as new genres in Indian art.
Devajyoti Ray inspired by the magic
realist trends of Europe and the concepts of cinematic
pseudo-real imagery has succeeded in bringing a new style
called Pseudorealism.
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Devajyoti Ray's
Pseudorealism: a new genre in Indian Art |
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