Art has witnessed many transformations from the ancient times to the digital age. Punit V Sood explains the evolution of the industry over the years

Indian art and culture are the resilient means that bind the country into one fabric. Art has come a long way from its initial origins. In the recent few years, India has been witnessing a rising desire for art amongst the people owing to the advent of a growing number of cultural initiatives, such as city-based art festivals, gallery exhibitions and grand events like art biennales. Many non-commercial establishments and artist-led initiatives have also come out in support of developing the industry. Businesses and events that encompass art and culture have gradually become integral elements of the Indian landscape and have laid the foundation for positioning various cities pan-India as major art destinations.  

Indian art heritage is a testament to the changing face of our society through the ages. The monumental variety in styles, techniques, themes and media point towards the richness of the art and lay out its evolution trajectory. Earlier, art in India was relegated to the portals of the royalty and elite class in the times when kings had extended royal patronage to artists hailing from diverse fields.

Along the way, the art industry has witnessed various milestones. Out of these, two major ones stood out in the post-Independence period. Firstly, there was the emergence of the ‘progressive art group’ that comprised the likes of veteran artists like Francis Newton Souza, S. H. Raza, M. F. Hussain, S. K. Bakre, Akbar Padamsee, Manishi Dey, and Tyeb Mehta. They were driven by the idea to paint with no curtailment of freedom in content and technique. Secondly, the process of globalisation in the early 1990s helped the art culture to develop and evolve further, empowering it to move ahead without any baggage from its past. Hence, there was a gradual rise of awareness of Indian art’s global relevance.

The Indian market is on the brink of a major transformation as sales of contemporary art are much likely to pick up, supported by its increasing popularity and a diversified buyer base.

Visual arts — evolution & trajectory

The visual arts (VA) comprise art forms such as ceramics, paintings, drawings, sculpture, printmaking, crafts, photography, designs, video, film making, and architecture. It also includes applied arts like industrial designs, fashion design, interior design, graphic design, and decorative art.

Collectively, all forms of visual arts help bind a nation’s ethos and make up an important medium for brand projection. Traditionally, Indian artists have always taken inspiration from the philosophical line of thought that holds ‘absolute cannot be created nor destroyed, instead it can only be felt and comprehended’. Their finesse makes our artists second to none. Even the language of abstractionism, popular universally, isn’t a new advent in India. Using traditional abstract expressions on canvas is what has taken Indian art on the global stage. Analysing the trends dominating Indian art over the years, we find that the artists have not only explored our own past but have also delved deep into the expressions and symbols prevalent in our own culture to take their art to the international level.

Visual arts industry is constituted by artists, public museums, private art galleries, auction houses and private non-commercialised art initiatives. Its value chain is made up of art production, sales and promotion, and art resale. This industry is the primary market that features new and relatively lesser-known artists alongside more recognised contemporary artists. The secondary market comprises auction houses that offer artworks for resale once these have acquired fame for their artistic value, historical significance and rarity. The recently emerged e-platforms, which offer curated, branded digital auctions of an assortment of art and collectibles, also show immense potential for the future of Indian art culture.

Though different art segments display different growth trajectories, the performance of the VA industry as a whole relies on the broader economic situation, majorly centred on elements impacting the growth and distribution of private wealth. The concentration of wealth in the hands of an increasing number of affluent Indians has been driving the growth of the visual arts industry in the past few years, augmenting sales in the high-end market especially.

Visual arts industry also has a tremendous potential to contribute to the Indian economy by providing direct employment, skills development and by promoting cultural tourism and nation’s cultural identity. The global turnover of the Indian art market has been gigantic as it clocked in close to Rs 1500 crore, including primary and secondary sales.

Rise of digital art

COVID-19 has been an event that has had unprecedented ramifications for all of us and has forced us to rethink and reinvent in order to survive. Just like every other industry, the pandemic has seriously impacted the lives of artists very deeply as it has taken away traditional platforms where they would showcase their creativity earlier. Due to social distancing, there are no new events, exhibitions and public display, which has affected the livelihood of millions of artists. It has even changed the conventional way of buying art by visiting art galleries, propelling people to buy art online.

However, like the silver lining to every adversity, the pandemic has opened up new opportunities and given rise to newer perspectives. Since the stakeholders of the art industry have now taken to the digital medium, the new dynamics have acted as a stimulus to the creativity of artists as they are now exploring the virtual medium for connectivity. Even art lovers can now take more time to browse through various catalogues and decide which one to buy as per their convenience. Artists who were hesitant earlier are now proactively learning to use social media platforms to develop and sustain their presence, and display their work to the world.

Several artists are finding ways to integrate technology into their work. Sculptors can now access a variety of raw materials and mediums. Art installations via sophisticated electronic devices and superior printing technology provide first-class prints, which can be accessed by art lovers from any part of the world. Along with individuals buying art, even India Inc. has become an art patron, either as owners of art or by sponsoring art events.

Art has been with us since since time immemorial and has undergone various transformations from the ancient age to the digital age. Although our options to experience it have become relatively limited, art enthusiasts have been leveraging a multitude of forums where it can be experienced with newer technologies, especially in real-time, experiential, virtual reality and augmented reality formats.

(The writer is the co-founder and director of an arts organisation.)