|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wall street journal Art is no longer restricted to an artist’s canvas. Dynamic and explosive, street art is
There are many things that define the spirit of a place: The food, the smell, the clothes, the language, the features of the people and the art, prints, graffiti that you see on the walls, the streets and the homes of people which is definitive and representative in many ways. Chandigarh getting ‘street smart’ Of course, there are some cities that are more art-oriented than others. Punjab, for instance, does not have a whole lot of art on its walls. Although it makes up for that in its truck and dhaba art. Nor do you find too much graffiti/ street art in Chandigarh, the lack of which, sometimes gives the city the reputation of being ‘soulless’ or ‘sterile’. However, the City Beautiful is making up for that by holding a two-day street art festival that it now holds annually. The students of the art college line either side of the Lake Road with reams of cloth and then spend hours painting graffiti on it. Giant puppets, cutouts, sand art and installations complete a festival that increases the cool quotient of the city. Manali… Ahhh! So trendy! The multi-nationality and varied cultural influences that blend into one big cauldron of civilisation, is all too evident in Manali. There’s a certain freedom here that transforms itself into funky street art. The long and winding road in Old Manali whereabouts most foreign visitors hang out is the place that artists and painters express themselves on the walls of residences, signboards and restaurants. The strains of music flow out of the small cafeterias and shops, and the streets are bursting with art. No wonder Manali has such allure about it. Israelis, Rajasthani, retro, portraits, graphic, tee shirt art… you think it, and it’s here! Udaipur warriors and elephants Udaipur is said to be the Venice of India, its lakes, its romance and the art that simply explodes from the walls of the houses and temples, especially in the old city. In Udaipur as in other parts of Rajasthan, you will come across paintings on the walls of houses — motifs of haathi, ghodas and warriors painted on walls, alongside studded wooden doors. The architecture, sculpture and artwork in the City Palace and other heritage buildings, is, of course, outstanding, but walking through the streets is simply delightful for the riot of colour and artwork. You can call it ‘traditional graffiti’. Bright colours, detailed, realistic representation and warriors in traditional costumes ride astride horses and elephants with aplomb. The Udaipur City Palace Ganesha In the City Palace, where the formality and scale of the structure is awe-inspiring, you will come across this Ganesha sign as well…. Incidentally, it leads to a gift shop at the end of the palace tour. Street poster art of McLeodganj McLeodganj is one of the nicest places to visit in India — the majestic Dhauladhars, the salubrious weather, the monastery and the Dalai Lama… and all those wonderful places to eat. The Tibetans are basically artistic people and you will find women sitting on the roadside, by their street stalls, doing their tangkha paintings (on cotton, or silk appliqué, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene, or mandala) and then putting these up for sale. But that is the formal Tibetan art. What was fascinating was the proliferation of poster ‘art’ in the busy bazaar. Seems like there’s a big drug problem there! The message is direct and simple: ‘I’d rather eat bugs than do drugs.’ Eat bugs? Ewwww! But better than doing drugs, one would suppose! Pondicherry gods and goddesses Pondicherry, or Puducherry as it is now called, abounds with gods and goddesses. Lord Ganesha is the presiding deity but images and statues and images of Lord Murugan, Lord Vishnu and Rama, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman also happily co-exist. Worship is a way of life with the Puducherrians as is art. So, naturally, they must be juxtaposed. It’s quite usual to see Gods on signboards, welcoming you into dosa or garment shops. Puducherrians are naturally gifted artists. For every woman, making rangolis is the most natural thing in the world and many women will make a rangoli in front of their homes every morning. Around festival times, Christmas and New Year, these develop into a fine art form, competing with each other in intricacy and beauty. Pune is funky With the eclectic education and smorgasbord of activities that young people can study and do, the varying influences of traditional art, the Osho ashram and the experiments in filmmaking, design and education, Pune is a city that is simply teeming with the excitement of art. 35 artists from Pune came together in September 2013 to present SadakChhaap, a movement where artists exhibit their works on the streets. Also, as a build up to the Pune Biennale, 2013, The Pune Street Art Project was curated by the multi-faceted, HarshvardhanKadam. On a bridge, close to Wadia College are walls covered by Graffiti done by different people at different times. In a restaurant called CafeToons on MG Road, the walls are alive with some pretty remarkable cartoon figures and catchy punch lines. The special thing about street art is that it’s dynamic and explosive. Street artists declare the world as their canvas. If, in a place you glimpse a piece of street art, get ready because there’s always more…just look for it!
|
|||
|
|
|||
