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Art and the Middle Class! (Part 5)
Through this article series, Satish Naik, Editor of Chinha Art News takes an overview of the changing art scenario in Maharashtra and India with a special reference to the artistic taste of the middle class. This insightful series offers glimpses of various transformative phases of the art world through the past decades till today. This fifth part of the article talks about the art culture of Kolhapur and the two great painters of Maharashtra, Gaitonde and Barve.
After becoming the Director of Art, once Baburao had gone to Kolhapur for some work, probably for the State Art Exhibition. The event was on the next day and he realized that his hair had grown. He went to a small salon for a haircut. He noticed that there was a landscape painting hung on the wall. Baburao realized that this was a work he had done at some point. Baburao started chatting with the salon owner. While talking, Baburao turned the chat to the topic of painting. While cutting his hair, the salon owner started narrating to Baburao the art glories of Kolhapur. Baburao, who originally lived in Kolhapur, was not surprised by his words. Then Baburao gently asked him “Whose landscape is it hung in your salon?” He replied that it is of a renowned painter from Kolhapur named Baburao Sadwelkar, who is now based in Mumbai. Baburao was happy to hear this answer from the saloon owner. He then revealed his identity. The salon owner was very happy. He insisted and offered tea to Baburao. But refused to take any money for the hair cut from Baburao.
Baburao narrated this story very lucidly to me. The same art tradition of Kolhapur is alive there even today. Painters and sculptors have the same respect there even today. Even today you can find original paintings in common man’s homes there. However, this sight is rare elsewhere. Konkan region produced many painters. But they all came to Mumbai due to extreme poverty. They earned a name in Mumbai. But their native village in Konkan remained poor. What happened in Konkan also happened in Goa. The painters from there also made a name for themselves in Mumbai. It is my observation that except for Kolhapur, no other city in Maharashtra has retained the artistic atmosphere.
The situation might have changed after Corona. I don’t really know as I couldn’t go there. But in the last two to five years Kolhapur has experienced massive floods. I have personally experienced the cries of the painters whose studios or houses were flooded directly up to the roof and their love for art, while contacting them through videos or mobile phones. Sculptures at every corner there, or a memorial of an artist like Baburao Painter or his studio which is still conserved till date. After all, I can say from personal experience that the art lovers who travel all the way from Kolhapur every Diwali by ST just to buy the Diwali issue of ‘Chinha’ and then go straight to Jehangir Art Gallery from my house to see the exhibition there and then directly reach Kolhapur by bus, can only be from Kolhapur.
This art dispersal spread and reached Sangli, Satara but unfortunately it could not go beyond that. This is the misfortune of the Marathi community. Otherwise the art scene could have been just like that in London or Paris. But when a ludicrous and stupid education minister who said that, “What’s the harm even if JJ School of Art is shut down?” came to power not once but for two consecutive terms, the process of producing good painters from Maharashtra got blocked. It would have been a wonder if Maharashtra had not stopped producing art writers, art critics, artists because of that. As a result of all this, the common man moved away from the subject of painting.
Despite all this, it can’t be forgotten that Gaitonde and Barve, the two names that achieved the highest positions in Indian painting, were not only Marathi but had risen from the real middle-class Marathi community / culture. This cannot be forgotten. When painter Prabhakar Barve passed away in 1995, renowned painter Hussain while responding to Indian Express, had referred to both Gaitonde and Barve as ‘the only two genius painters in India’. But the Marathi community never realized their greatness. In fact, Marathi community did not even know these two names.
After the year 2000, people got to know Gaitonde first because of the auction prices. (It is due to the Gaitonde Special issue of ‘Chinha’ and later through the Gaitonde book, we were successful in spreading the awareness about Gaitonde across Maharashtra at least in a limited sense. However, the fact that an edition of two to three thousand copies of this book would not fully sell out even in the past eight years in a Maharashtra state which has a population of over 120 million, speaks volumes about the sorry state of affairs of the Marathi culture in the art and painting field.) And then Barwe. (In the case of Barwe, his book ‘Kora Canvas’ (‘Blank Canvas’) was released in 1990. But twenty years had to pass before an edition of just 1000-1200 copies was sold out. This is a fact.) Until then, it is a fact that the art awareness of the Marathi community remained limited to Raja Ravi Varma, Dinanath Dalal and Raghuveer Mulgaonkar.
(To be continued)
Satish Naik
Editor, Chinha Art News
Prior publication: ‘Samatawadi MuktSanvad Patrika’ Monthly, September 2023.
Re-published in ‘Chinha Art News’ with prior consent of the editor.
Click on the link given below, to view Art Education Panel Discussion organized by Chinha.
कलाशिक्षण महाचर्चा | Panel Discussion About Art Education
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