Fine Art
Lines, shapes & forms
Applied art has extended its reach, widening the scope of fine art. From animation, web designing to illustration, the requirements for the burgeoning publishing and entertainment industries ensure a promising career in fine art. The 21st century belongs to the creative minds. In all fields of knowledge, creative approaches will rule the roost. No wonder, the demand for the study of arts that hone creativity, is growing.
Soumendra Nath Lahiri

ART, they say, is a refined expression of human experiences, a means of life that expands consciousness. The insight provided by arts helps people identify with and act according to aesthetic and moral values. So, technology may have made path-breaking progress today, it still bags fresh ideas and concepts to add that little touch of beauty to its functional appeal. Despite taking strides in financial and technical fields, one does not become a complete human being without the pursuit of arts.

Fine art, on its part, encompasses art forms, developed primarily for aesthetics, but can also be used for practical application. With many more career avenues opening up, students, who would earlier opt for the engineering or medical streams, now seek to pursue fine art, which have evolved in ways that significantly impact our lives. The commercial art market is growing, and Indian art is making its presence felt globally. This, in turn, has escalated the market price of Indian art by leaps and bounds. Not only this, with the double income families rising, people want a touch of art in everything— from their homes to their attire. Secondly, parents no more discourage their children from pursuing art, because fine art has a lot of scope to grow in the future. It offers a great career path, both to a freelance artist, as well as for a job seeker.

No wonder, fine art is a major area of study for all students, even at school level, till they choose their respective specialisations. Engagement in this discipline helps students stretch their minds beyond the boundaries of the printed text or the rules of what is provable. fine art contributes to a child's development and fosters the skills of communication, creativity and cognition. Through the study of arts, students gain a greater understanding of their own culture and global citizenship. It enables students to frame the world from an aesthetic perspective, allowing them to see that there are many ways to view the world. To that extent then, fine art is a great humanising force and the goal of its study is to provide all students access to an understanding of the nature.

Aptitude for arts

For joining a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts (B.F.A.) one is required to complete Class XII or higher secondary examination along with the clearance of an aptitude test, conducted by all art institutions. Professional education in fine art can be done through a four-year degree program, segmented into two courses, namely foundation course (one year) and specialisation course (three years). Further, professional study can be pursued through a Master’s in Fine Art (M.F.A) programme, usually spanning over two years. A candidate seeking admission to the course must have passed the Bachelor of Fine Art degree in the relevant specialisation.

Fine art streams

Creative students with a keen sense of observation, imagination and ability to persevere can enter the field of fine art. Pursuing a course in arts channelises the creativity within an individual and gives him an edge over others for surviving in the competitive commercial arts industry. There are several career opportunities in fine arts.

Applied Art: Also called commercial art, it prepares students for planning and execution of advertising and publicity and is a medium for commercial purpose. It trains students to create attractive illustration designs for advertisements in newspapers and magazines, posters, symbols and logos, typography, packaging designs, display designs, book jackets etc. It also includes the creation of visual aids for industrial and educational application.Commercial art graduates can become visualisers, graphic designers, freelance artists in advertising agencies, publishing houses, multimedia and corporates, animators, web designers, set designers, interior decorators, teachers or administrators of art programmes. As a graphic designer, one is required to design billboards, window slides, catalogues and cinema slides. One can also get employed in the film or theatre production houses.

Painting: It is a form of visual expression and is among the major visual arts. As part of the curriculum work in creative painting, students develop a concept for a body of work. Abstraction, mixing of mediums, stylisation, using reality as a basis for painting, employing cubic forms, distortion and simplification is encouraged. An artist paints portraits, landscapes, composition, still life, abstract painting, murals etc on different mediums. Painting graduates promote their work through exhibitions. Alternatively, they can teach in schools or colleges or work as freelance artists.

Sculpture: It is an in-depth portfolio building course that explores opportunities for expression through sculptural work in varied media. It is a three-dimensional artwork, created by shaping clay, plaster of Paris, plastic material, stone (rock or marble), metal (bronze) and wood. Some sculptures are created directly by carving; others are assembled, built up and fired, welded, molded or cast. Because sculpture involves the use of materials that can be molded or modulated, it is considered one of the plastic arts. Nowadays, artists create installations as a modern concept in sculpture. Sculpture artists pursue their career by displaying their artworks in exhibitions, fairs, creating commission-based artworks for projects and teaching in schools/colleges and art institutions.

Visual Communication: In a world where environmental, social, political, religious and professional issues are changing, no area of cultural activity is more challenging than the field of communication. The aim of this course is to create an understanding of the industry needs by enhancing the technical skills through exposure to appropriate visual media. This programme includes creative image-making, with focus on concepts, scripting, visualising, story boards and meaning of 2-D and 3-D animation techniques. Career options in visual communication lie in advertising agencies, multimedia industry and film-making.

Print Making: The aim of this programme is to develop the skill of the students to communicate through various mediums and technology. In this, emphasis is laid on composition and individual techniques, working in different mediums like relief process, intaglio, lithography, screen printing and mix-media. In print making, students can look up to career options by displaying their prints in various art exhibitions and in collections of art galleries, working as freelance artists. Teaching is another option.

Art History: This course offers a chronological survey of Indian and Western art from the dawn of civilisation to the present time, including modern trends and ideas in the ever changing world of art. It facilitates the understanding of artworks within their historical context by examining issues like politics, religion, patronage, gender, function and ethnicity, through both contextual and visual analysis. Careers include art curators, in-house critics for art galleries, research and documentations to examine and analyse presentations in museums, art galleries, auction houses and on internet. One can also pursue a career as an independent art historian.

— Soumendra Nath Lahiri heads Department of Applied Art, College of Art, New Delhi