Where the art is dying…

 It is often said that art prevails even if the artists who made them pass away. Such was the influence of artworks in the past, be it music, painting or dance forms. The cultural conditions helped them to transgress the generations and make an impact on the thought process of the minds. 

Liberals and progressive ideologists have utilised the services of artworks to express, convince and influence the masses to progressive thinking patterns. But is the influence dying down? 

A doubt arose in my mind after failing to find participants for a program when it was announced that there would be no prizes and the works are just for expressing themselves. “What will I gain?” the questions from little kids pierced my mind to bring back the memories of my childhood when our anguish, despair, love, hope, nearly all the emotions of the adolescent stage found one way or the other to vent out of our souls in what we considered as artworks, if not for the world. 

There had been very few children who didn’t like to draw a line or two to make a pathetic selfie. Even few among them didn’t dare to write up their own creations be it on the answer sheets or otherwise. There is a major difference between the two generations. Those of the immediate past didn’t bother about the prizes or gains whereas the present generation asks “What will I gain?”

We ask the same question for nearly all decisions in life. When we take up a course, a career, get married, have children, and even when we take care of our elderly parents by keeping them with us in the same home. Life as a whole has become a balance sheet of gains, losses, risks and benefits. How can art escape from this harsh reality?

I do agree that art needs patronage to survive. But is it absolutely essential? For me art is a form of expression of vented up emotions be it joy or sadness. There is a touch of reality in every fiction, a bit of author in every work, a piece of the artist in every painting. That’s unique to an individual just like the genetic fingerprint and that’s what made those artworks seemingly closer to hearts.

Where have we failed as a society to preserve the art? We do take pride in our past cultural relics especially those which portray art. But we fail to see the present where artists struggle to even earn their livelihood, leave alone the fame. This struggle for existence, just like in biological evolutionary theory put forward by Darwin had created another competition for centre stage as a means to survival. 

There is another principle which follows the struggle for existence once it intensifies; the competitive exclusion. Simply put, it leaves the competition and finds another job. Hence when some manage to occupy the centre stage of art, others tend to take up different professions as a means to survive leaving out the competition. 

Here’s where we lose out the real talents. That would have otherwise been the carriers of artwork to transcend generations ahead. For that, there are only two ways. First finest forms of art need to find real patrons to grow. And, we need to replace the question “What will I gain?” with dedication and commitment. Both are however difficult and need the changed outlook of the society towards art. 

Hope we don’t let the art die….