Art Magazines: An Artiste's Perspective
Art magazines are the intellectual lifeline of an artiste. Considering the large expanse of the world of art, articulation is of utmost importance for several reasons. As an artiste, I would like to approach an art magazine with the same enthusiasm with which I approached the monthly issue of National Geographic as a teenager, often tussling with my grandfather on who would read first. I draw this parallel because I believe that art magazines must sustain interest in readers across the entire spectrum of age, gender and cultural belief.
The written word can beautifully complement the abstract nature of music and dance. Performances are ephemeral- the moments created in a live performance are only for the performer and audience. Sitting a thousand miles away, I may be able to imagine those moments if I read a commentary or critique of the performance. Previews and reviews of performances currently do occupy prime space of art magazines but objective critiques are rare. But that is indeed the direction we must head towards because it is this written word that will serve as a reference point when readers from 10 decades later sit down to read the archives.
Unlike the world of Science that sees all research, patents and accomplishments published, the art world sees very little publication of original research or work, especially in India. Could these then find their way into art magazines.
There is no dearth of subject matter when it comes to art. There are so many beautiful art forms that have rarely been spoken about; several senior artistes and Gurus who are storehouses of knowledge- these are voices that must be heard.
Current matters of socio-cultural importance find their way into social media. Would it not be worthwhile to bring these debates and discussion to the book. This would lead to a more fruitful discussion devoid of loose comments and angry whispers.
To me, an art magazine is a collectible: chronicling the lives and works of greats, encouraging the young to delve deeper into the art, acknowledging matters of current relevance and providing snippets of academic knowledge. Some argue to relevance of print publications in times of digital dominance but that is the same as arguing the relevance of holding a hard bound classic versus the downloaded version on Kindle- Some people may have migrated to soft versions, some will denounce the kindle, some will find the argument irrelevant. But in the end the written word rules in any of the avatars it takes on because irrespective of the audio records of music and video records of dance that we create, it is in writing that thoughts and creativity of the artiste can be articulated for all to know.
The written word can beautifully complement the abstract nature of music and dance. Performances are ephemeral- the moments created in a live performance are only for the performer and audience. Sitting a thousand miles away, I may be able to imagine those moments if I read a commentary or critique of the performance. Previews and reviews of performances currently do occupy prime space of art magazines but objective critiques are rare. But that is indeed the direction we must head towards because it is this written word that will serve as a reference point when readers from 10 decades later sit down to read the archives.
Unlike the world of Science that sees all research, patents and accomplishments published, the art world sees very little publication of original research or work, especially in India. Could these then find their way into art magazines.
There is no dearth of subject matter when it comes to art. There are so many beautiful art forms that have rarely been spoken about; several senior artistes and Gurus who are storehouses of knowledge- these are voices that must be heard.
Current matters of socio-cultural importance find their way into social media. Would it not be worthwhile to bring these debates and discussion to the book. This would lead to a more fruitful discussion devoid of loose comments and angry whispers.
To me, an art magazine is a collectible: chronicling the lives and works of greats, encouraging the young to delve deeper into the art, acknowledging matters of current relevance and providing snippets of academic knowledge. Some argue to relevance of print publications in times of digital dominance but that is the same as arguing the relevance of holding a hard bound classic versus the downloaded version on Kindle- Some people may have migrated to soft versions, some will denounce the kindle, some will find the argument irrelevant. But in the end the written word rules in any of the avatars it takes on because irrespective of the audio records of music and video records of dance that we create, it is in writing that thoughts and creativity of the artiste can be articulated for all to know.
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