Investment in art has hit the dirt big time. Big shot names and industrialists are betting big on wonderful art works. Recent spike seen in the art auctions duly points to the conclusion that art market is here to stay and flourish. No wonder, from big corporate to small time investors are trying their hands at lucrative world of art. Try revisiting any art auction having taken place in last one decade and you will find astronomical sums of money being doled out for amazing art works. Indian artists like M F Hussain, Tyeb Mehta etc have made it big in art market. There is huge demand of works made by them.

But, in this mad rush it would be prudent to take notice of one fact. Greed and fear are also attached with investment. One mistake most of the retail investors are making is investment in cheap art works. They think it’s a wise decision and their investment will pay rich dividends in the long run. But that’s a fallacy. Basically, when it comes to art investment, two factors are always there. One, when a person buys a cheap art work thinking of it as a good beginning and second, assuming that just because an art work is getting sold for some discount, it must be good. What they fail to notice is if the art work is being sold for less price or for some discount there must be some reason behind it. It’s okay to purchase a cheap art work if the purpose is to hang it on the all but for investment purpose, it can be a terrible mistake.

Give your art investment as much importance as you would to your other investments. Go for a good and quality art work even though it comes costly because you are bound to get good returns in the long run.

The paintings of Rembrandt, Monte and Van Gogh have their masterpieces in oil paintings. Oil paintings are niche art and the true art work is clearly brought out in the paintings. Understanding the technique and form is very much essential. The sketch is done on the canvas with charcoal or directly with paint in a fine form. The blending is again the painter’s creation and the colors in oil painting stand out well.

There has been a lot of innovation and changes in the medium of painting that has actually facilitated drying and transportation. Earlier the medium was to be mixed with linseed oil to form a sort of varnish. With the advent of tubes in oil painting, the rich texture is well maintained. There are various ways to do the oil painting and the artist chooses a comfortable pattern.

Paintbrushes are the main trick to develop the texture and richness via strokes. Sable, mongoose hair or hogs hair is usually used for the brushes. Deft strokes are lined with the help of the brushes that gives bold strokes or fine painting. The synthetic fibers also aid in giving a different feel to the application of color. The initial layer is used with a thin paint and is a way to temper the canvas. Once the canvas is used to the layers the oncoming layers can be done in varied hues and thickness.

Sealing the paint is done with glaze formation so that there is certain perfection in drying of the paint. The earlier artists would have been comfortable in painting over the wet works and their creativity or sense of imagination aids them to work well in any medium. Portraits or market place oil paintings were very common in the yesteryears. Today’s contemporary artists love to paint the ideas of modern abstract forms or the topic of rebirth through oil painting.

The perfection of works through oil painting can be seen in the concept of marriage painted by Jan Van Eyck. Each inanimate object here shows the evidence of life and there is more accentuation on the expression between the man and woman. The latest artists also go for superior quality oil paints and do not actually intend to varnish or seal the paintings.

One relatively less known and less advertised aspect of Indian art is Toys. We are talking about toys as an object of art. Like in many other segments, India always had a wonderful culture of toys. Brilliant clay toys have been found in excavation at Harappa and Mohenjodaro. This is not one-off case. In fact, huge number of clay toys has been found at several; excavations done by archeologist. The research says that, these toys have been made using a large variety of materials. Some of them are clay, cow dung, paper, red wood and papier-mache. Toys and dolls are gift of folk tradition followed in many parts of the country.

It is a prevalent tradition to make toys during religious festivals. Many state tribes celebrate the arrival of new seasons and memorable occasions with variety of dolls and toys. The beauty of this tradition is variety one gets. One can find different fascinating style of toys incorporated in the traditional aspect of states. Medium like lacquered wood with prints is one of the oldest in toys culture. The most famous pilgrimage place in India, Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh is hub of specially carved red wood toys. These toys are known as Tirupati dolls. Similarly, the state of Bihar is famous for clay images demonstrated in Shyama Chak festival.

Southern state of Andhra Pradesh is famous for leather puppets. Usage of vegetable dyes is quite evident in five feet high and attractively painted puppets. In the North-Eastern state of Assam, the culture of toys is in existence since many centuries. The unique point about this culture is usage of Indian cork. Fabric and old clothes are used in Rajasthani art of toys. The toys making is categorized in Indian craft segment.

M.F.Hussain (Maqbool Fida Husain) is one of the most enigmatic artists of India who is known for his vigorous appreciation of the human circumstances and the traces of it can be found in his masterpieces

Born in 1915 at Pandharpur in Maharashtra; Hussain comes from a traditional Muslim background. As a child, Hussain learnt the art of calligraphy and loved to read poetries while he resided with his uncle in Baroda. After painting many countryside landscapes and completing his schooling in Indore, Hussain decided to move to Mumbai to make his career in art. He joined the J.J. school of arts and started to earn his living by painting billboards for feature films.

In 1947, Hussain won an award for his paintings at the annual exhibition of the Bombay art society and this marked the beginning of a vibrant colorful career ahead waiting for this art maestro. Hussain did a lot of art experimentation in his early years by blending different ethnic and mythological themes to create luminous art forms.  His creativity, style and innovation in paintings have made him reach the acme in Indian art. F.N. Souza, a member of The Progressive Artist’s Group, which was formed to give new dimensions to Indian art, invited Hussain to become a member of it in 1948. By 1955 Hussain went on to become one of the foremost artists in India and was awarded the grand ‘Padma Shri’.

In 1971, Hussain was invited along with Pablo Picasso at the Sao Paulo Biennial. Apart from the several solo exhibitions, Hussain has many studios in major metropolitans of the country. In 1973, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, in 1989, the Padma Vibhushan and finally was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1986. In 1990, Hussain’s work started becoming controversial. Many criminal complaints were filed against him on the charges of promoting enmity between religious groups. These controversies also led to the closure of Hussain’s exhibition in London. In 2006, Hussain was even arrested and charged for hurting the sentiments of Indians. Be it whatever, Hussain still captivates and entices art lovers with his extraordinary, outstanding and unrivaled paintings

Global art market is thriving. In last two decades, prices of art works have touched stratospheric orbit. We keep coming across the news of wonderful art works being sold for unbelievable prices. Many little known artists got their due in the mad rush of art auctions. It also helped in opening up new avenues for budding artists who were earlier struggling for recognition. However, in last one and half year, things have slightly changed. Due to global recession, art market has also got affected. The crisis did manage to penetrate strong world of art works. We all are pretty sure about the crisis being a minor blip in the long term wonderful prospects of art market. But as of now, many investors of the world have put on hold any new art purchasing decisions. Huge art markets like London and New York have also been affected with slowdown.

But there is one global market that has not shown any signs of slowing down. Yes, we are talking about Paris Art Market. Compared to 2007 and early 2008, number of auction sales and volumes have remained more or less stable. That is no mean feat considering the recession factor looming large in other major parts of the world. Talking about this year, there has been remarkable improvement in the number of sales figure shown by Paris art market. It has remained higher than London or New York. In February, Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint-Laurent sale took place at the Grand Palaisand it was a huge success.

Many wonderful art auctions have been accomplished in the beautiful capital of France. Even in May 2009, Sotheby’s Contemporary Art sale got buyers for no less than 95% of the art works on hammer. Christie’s had a phenomenal success rate in Paris in last few months. All in all, Paris is leading the revival of art auctions in global market.

Mithu Sen is considered one of India’s finest and most dynamic contemporary artists. She is born in 1971 in West Bengal and has secured her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in painting from Kala Bhavan at Santiniketan. She later did a postgraduate program at the Glasgow School of Art on the Charles Wallace India Trust Award.

Sen is known for her thought provoking paintings that always keep the onlooker pondering over the country’s social values. There is also an element of humour to her painting that is snickering, asking the viewer what do we do as human beings? She reveals the reveal all the social, emotional, political, and fundamental aspects of identity and of human being in general.

She feels that a new piece of art opens up new possibilities, new meanings, and a new realm and that nothing can be more interesting than becoming a part of it. She is worked on a wide range of media including drawing, collage, sculptural projects, and installation.

Also she is quite experimentative in her work and her solos ‘Can We Really Look beyond the Map’ in New Delhi (2000) and ‘Unbelongings’ in Glasgow (2001), and ‘I Hate Pink’ among others are a testimony to that.  In her work, she also suggests the influence of society on our identity and development. Sen’s works are often a characteristic of her own self and how she copes with her role as a successful artist. She also brings out the femininity and sexuality in post-modern world on her canvas. There is also a slight hint of sarcasm which prompts the onlookers to play with the ideas and meanings of ’self’

Ved Gupta is a young contemporary artist of India who has a different approach to painting. Ved is bold, fearless, and not afraid to raise his voice on behalf of the suppressed. Ved’s paintings are a perception of the reality that prevails in India about the injustices and inequalities that have been prevailing in the country for years together. His basic theme revolves around the plight of the country despite its new success of economic liberalization and globalization.

His paintings are highlighting the bitter reality and are from the perspective of the dispossessed, projecting them as heroic, albeit tragic beings. In an interview Ved quoted “I have always aspired to make a political statement and give back to the society with whatever I did. The language of art provided me with a way of expressing that and connecting with the society.”

Born in 1975 in Narkatiagunj, Bihar, Ved always weaved a dream of becoming an engineer, but he failed to fulfill it. After leaving Bihar, he traveled to New Delhi and then Pilani, Rajasthan where he spent time with a sculptor. This was the time when Ved started his fascinating journey, which led him to understand various shades of human emotions like the feeling of loneliness and desperation attached with the phenomenon of migration and this is what is reflected in his beautiful paintings and sculptures. Ved later did his post-graduation in sculpture from the Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University, Vadodara, where he got a gold medal. He has also won numerous honors including the H.K. Kejriwal award and the Kashi Award for Visual Art (2007).

Ved’s work has been featured at many exhibitions. He was among the five Indian artists who showcased their works under the ‘Best of Discovery’ section at the Shanghai Contemporary show.

Dance and music are fields where the most delightful styles and sweetest strains fade away before people can understand them, whereas painting holds the sentiments and expressions and retains the impact for a comparatively elongated time-period. Painting is basically a blend of lines, forms, colors, tones, textures and spaces. It makes an attempt to communicate the verbal and non-verbal terminologies with the strokes of the paint brush.

Painting styles are different from area to area, and from phase to phase. From ancient times to the era of evolution, painting has been the illustrative certification of man’s beliefs, and experiences. It has been demonstrated on the walls of the caves like the elephant caves, the Ajanta caves and the Bhimbetka caves, temples like the Brihadisvari temple and the Mukteshvara temple, and palaces like the very famous Taj Mahal, or dried leaved and cloth in the form of phadas, patachitras and coverlets.
Displayed manuscripts on palm leaf folios in the medieval period were then substituted by paper. The paintings of any given province and era, offers a peek into the intellectual and cultural awareness of the inhabitants who accomplished them. The techniques are influenced by the local customs and cross-cultural relations.
Besides all the other factors, the exceptional geographical positioning of India played a vital part in the blossoming of the diverse provincial techniques. The vivid and vibrant painting traditions, which built up, like the murals and wall paintings, Chaurapanchasika art(CPS Group), miniatures, scroll art, madhubani art, lepakshi art, etc added to the rich and diverse cultural inheritance of India. This also formed the base of succeeding genres. Cultural paintings bring to you the various painting techniques from the wealth trove of India. They have their distinctive painting style, regional and episodic individuality. The art field has brought a lot of international recognition to India and Indian artists from the traditional times to the contemporary times.

Prokash Karmakar is the son of the renowned artist Prahlad Karmakar. He was born in 1933. He missed learning art from his father because as soon as Prokash got acquainted with the basics of artwork, his father expired. Due to this mishap, Prokash had to quit art and join the army in 1949 to earn a living for himself. But he soon realized that art is where he wanted to be.
Prokash Karmakar won the National Award for his artistic skills in 1968. He made the country proud both, nationally and internationally. Prokash was a founder member of the Society of Contemporary Artists. He also was the initiate member of the Calcutta painters. His active participation and association in the promotional activities related to the art in Bengal is commendable.
Prokash Karmakar was the founder member of the Calcutta Art Fair as well. He has displayed his works in a number of solo exhibitions within the country. His exhibitions have been held in Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi. He has also taken part in a couple of group exhibitions in the country.
Prokash has primarily excelled in acrylic and oil painting. Karmakar’s artworks illustrate that he uses thick lines to draw human figures and to make the entire work look subtle, he uses simplified backgrounds. The patches in his paintings are highlighted completely in bold shades.
His sketches are noteworthy; especially for their expressive alterations of life and the existence of living beings. He is capable of expressing the sensuality of women worthily. He adds a twist and a weave to the usual linear patterns. Since a decade, Prokash Karmakar has been engaged in painting landscapes. This has been admired by millions of art lovers. He has been inclined to continue painting themes from the contemporary society leaving behind the traditional issues.

India is blessed with numerous stone monuments in all parts of the country. The stone structures of India are known for magnificent architecture and sublime grandeur. These sculptures are bestowed with perfect architecture. In fact, both sculpture and architecture deserve great study and cannot be put together. During ancient times, many temples were built in major parts of India. The tradition of stone carving is very much focused around these temples. The class of stone work can be seen in variety of stones used by the artists. From hard granite, soft-brittle sandstone to patchy red stone, Indian craftsmen carved several amazing art works. We need not go too far to witness the grandeur of such work. Look at the state of Orissa. It has famous temples and sculptures at Puri, Bhuvaneshwar and Konark. One look at the expression of deities, poses of epic heroes’ ad fine detailing of ornaments and one will understand the true essence of stone work.

Famous examples of Indian stone work can be found in places like Ajanta and Ellora, Mahabalipuram, Kanyakumari, Khajuraho, Thanjavur, Sanchi and Tiruchirapalli. The architectural facades and amazing sculptures truly manifest inherent class of stone work. The beautiful rock cut caves of Ajanta are sheer delight to the senses. South India state of Tamil Nadu is famous for its temples. All these temples are unparallel when it comes to stone work used in them.

Similarly if we go to northern state of Himachal Pradesh, there is one beautiful depiction of stone carving tradition in Kangra district. The rock cut temple at Masrur has this giant monolithic carving. Mughal era is also famous for its beautiful architectural gift. Example like Itmad-ud-Daulah’s tomb near Agra has beautiful marble work. Jaipur is also famous for its splendid stone work. Stone work in India is surely a magnificent art and a great gift to the human civilization.