VISIONS OF FREEDOM - Art Workshop for Grownups

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What does it mean to be Independent?

How many of us are really Free?

What is Indianness in Art?

Why are such annoying questions raised every year on 15^th August, from school assemblies and boring talk shows to jingoistic films?

To show you why, this 15^th August, we take you back in time to when such questions were earnest and vital, and led to some exciting answers. What’s more, we do it through Art. The Pomegranate Workshop presents ‘Visions of Freedom’, a 2-session presentation-cum-workshop that explores the emergence of National Consciousness in Indian art and the artistic engagement with Traditional Indian Art in pre-Independence India. The workshop will be conducted by Anupam Singh, a practicing contemporary artist with a Master’s Degree in Fine Art from MS University, Baroda.

Visions of Freedom will explore the nature of linearity and colour in Indian art traditions through a slide-show, examining various art forms and artists from Ajanta painting, medieval painting, folk and tribal art to modern Indian art movements such as the Bengal School, Shantiniketan School, Progressive Group. Artists discussed include Abanindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Benode Behari Mukherjee Jamini Roy, M. F. Hussain, J. Swaminathan, Jyoti Bhatt, K. G. Subramanyan, Neelima Sheikh, Gulam Mohammad Sheikh, Tyeb Mehta, among many others. This will be followed by a practical workshop which will involve the participants in developing their own compositions by discovering the aspects of linearity and colour/texture and exploring what freedom and independence means to each in relation to our contemporary society.

One of the important and defining characteristics of traditional Indian Art has been the emphasis on Linearity and Flat Colour, where the line defines the form, unlike the play of light and shadow and the three dimensionality that define western art traditions. Lines were used to distinguish spaces, define textures, and provide scope for subtle craftsmanship; while the use of flat colour conveyed the dense colour-soaked life of India.

At a time when western systems of education were introduced at all levels and in all fields across India, there arose a different kind of ‘Modern Art’. Artists who were a product of their time brought with them a kind of alternative Cultural Nationalism in the realm of the visual arts, creating awareness about blindly adopting to western models of art making. One of the prominent means of spreading this nationalism and this awareness was to look back at past traditions, an emphasis on the aspect of linearity, usage of flat colour and developing the composition via various textures, thus developing a dialogue that was both political and cultural in its implications for attitudes of nationalism in Indian Art.

The workshop is open to participants at all skill levels. If you’ve never held a paintbrush before, we have simple techniques that will enable expression for you. If you are an artist looking to explore further, then this workshop holds great promise. The idea is to delve into the works of the great artists and go back in time to understand another era and the tremendous art that came out of it.

About Anupam Singh: Anupam Singh is a visual artist, with several creative interests. He received his art education from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata (Bachelors in Visual Arts, 1997) and M.S. University, Baroda (Masters in Fine Arts, 1999) respectively. He has received fellowships which included an Artists Exchange Program to Amsterdam (Netherlands) and an Artists Residency at the Kanoria Centre for Arts, Ahmedabad. He has participated in several exhibitions, artists workshops and public art projects. He currently lives and works in Navi Mumbai.

Workshop Details

Dates: Sat 15^th and Sun 16^th Aug

Timing: 10am – 1pm, both days

Venue: PL Deshpande Academy,

Ravindra Natya Mandir,

Sayani Rd, Prabhadevi

(Behind Siddhivinayak Temple)

Course Fee: Rs. 1200/- inclusive of all materials

Contact: Priya Srinivasan – 9892210539

Akshat Nigam – 9833012484

Note: All Cheques to be made out to Pomegranate Eduworkshop Pvt. Ltd. Payments can be couriered to the office. In case of cash payments, the timings are 11 am – 4 pm, Monday – Saturday. Our address:

The Pomegranate Workshop,

14, Shantaram Nivas,

Gokhale Rd (North)

Dadar (West)

Mumbai – 400 028

(Just above the WHP Jewelers showroom near Portuguese Church)

WESTERN ART APPRECIATION WORKSHOP

The Pomegranate Workshop is back with the very popular KNOW YOUR ART with Madhumita Srivastava, and this is an early bird alert to all those who were wait listed last time around. Please call in soonest...

Know Your Art is a workshop series conducted once a week over a period of ten weeks beginning 11th Aug (Tuesday) and ending October 11 (Sunday), 2009 (All sessions on Tuesdays 7pm-9pm, except final session). This is a foundation level course designed for anyone who wants to extend their appreciation of the visual arts. The aim of the course is twofold - to arrive at a better understanding of art through an examination of Western art and to sensitize us to the value of art in contemporary culture.

Our SPECIAL FEATURES include an extensive slide show in each session, which encapsulates a large body of work of the period under discussion, briefing notes in advance of the session and detailed painting lists and datesheets to enable further reference on the works discussed. In addition, the course concludes with a visit to a local gallery.

Through this short program we offer you the opportunity to develop a visual and historical framework so that you may understand, interpret and develop an 'eye' for art. Important pieces of art will be studied and discussed through easy to understand approaches such as colour, composition, light & shadow, common themes etc. The starting point of the workshop series would be the Renaissance Period and major art movements such as Realism, Impressionism, Expressionism, Cubism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art etc will be delved into, to get a broad understanding of the development and influence of Western Art.

ARTISTS COVERED include great masters such Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Van Gogh, Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Renoir, Mark Rothko, Wassily Kandinsky among others. In an effort to analyse how the painter, sculptor or architect uses art elements and materials as a means of expression and communication, the workshops will look at different styles, mediums, genres and techniques.

The program will explore and address questions such as: How do you look at a work of art? What was the artist trying to express? How do we reconcile “Artist’s Intent” vis-a-vis our personal response to a piece of art? What makes an artwork? How do we know what we like? These slide illustrated workshops will move away from a conventional lecture format and instead take on a 'Show and Tell' approach. It will encourage a questioning attitude, individual interpretation and even hot debate – after all, art is subjective and we all have a right to form our own opinion and a right to choose art that we enjoy.

THIS COURSE IS OPEN TO ALL: the discerning connoisseur, the non artist, the lay person looking to develop their knowledge and understanding of art - so that just "looking" at art takes on a whole new meaning. In the end it's not just about understanding art alone but experiencing it, sensing its hidden meanings and discovering a love for it.
Registrations strictly on first come first served basis

About Madhumita Srivastava

Madhumita has a Masters degree in Architecture from the University of Michigan which she followed up with a Masters in Fine Art (Design and Technology) from the Parsons School of Design, New York, with a specialization in broadcast design and motion graphics.

She has been a visual designer for video, web and print media projects in India and the U.S. Madhumita's work spans a variety of assignments from art and set design for television shows to graphic design and video editing for "Metropolis as Metaphor", an exhibition in New York city, to creating and designing animated graphics for interactive digital media.

She has been teaching graphic design and digital video for undergraduate and graduate students in the United States. Madhumita has been heading the Masters of Architecture program at Rachana Sansad Academy, Mumbai, and is also part of their Bachelors' program faculty where she introduces her students to new media in design and architecture.

COURSE DETAILS

VENUE: Christine Valmy India, 2nd Flr, Landmark Bldg, Pali Naka, Bandra West.
(This building houses several offices such as Pixion Studios, Gold’s Gym, HDFC, etc – all of which can serve as “landmarks” while asking for directions!)

DATES: TUESDAYS, 11th Aug – 6th Oct (Gallery Visit on SUNDAY, 11th Oct)

TIMINGS: 7 – 9 pm

COURSE FEE: Rs. 4500/- for all sessions incl gallery visit

FOR REGISTRATION CONTACT

PRIYA – 9892210539
AKSHAT – 9833012484

Cheques may be drawn in favour of ‘Pomegranate Eduworkshop Pvt. Ltd.’ and couriered/ delivered to the following address: (In case of cash payments the timings are 11 am – 4 pm, Monday – Saturday)

The Pomegranate Workshop
No 14, Second Floor (Above WHP Showroom)
Shantaram Nivas
Gokhale Road (North)
Near Portuguese Church
Dadar West – 400 028