Monday, March 31, 2008

Tickled religion!


I'ts a very Indian thing......the more u criticise....the more it seems you know, said my friend

To a child , art is depicting his thoughts on paper, in the form of lines and circles. Does this mean , he is wrong?

When a child depicts his family on paper, is there a bias in his creativity? Most kids i've come across start off with stick figures and when they proudly show it to their parents, there is an outburst of features, and even actions and thoughts to that figure, brief as it may be.
But do we say 'NO', Papa does not look like this?
Wasn't that his interpretation of his father? Why then ,does age mellow the tolerance level and suddenly loom out large at adults.

Take the example of Gods! ( It is not about God as in religion, but as in interpretation...)

As God , he is unlimited. He has many names and many forms. Allah-Buddha-Jesus-Ram. All are one.God is not abstract. He has both the impersonal and the personal aspects to his personality. If there is a God with a form, I want to see Him. Its pointless in believing something without proof.
Isn't art an expression of freedom. The mind which is creative is drawing out what it percieves and what it feels. Is there limits to it? Is there a restriction as to how far it can soar?
I have always wondered why people criticize Art from the creative point of view. If there is a technical flaw, it makes sense to educate the artist on his shortcomings. But can there be a flaw in creative thoughts? Has anyone seen God?

I read this in a forum of creative artists, which had a depiction of a character of an Indian God. The character was visualised by the artist and he had given his own interpretation to it, but it apparently did not live upto the "Indian-ness" of GOD. They asked him to refer to another famous artists work. Isn't that unfair?
Did the famous artist know God? Wasn't that his interpretation too, and it was accepted..apparently, his critiques would have had their head severed..According to his work, "In many of his paintings, he has modeled Hindu Goddesses on the women living in the southern parts of India."
So why can't another have his own vision?
Isn't this India? Only here can we be pampered for our varied cultural background. To say that Art- is a discipline of insistent questioning, a sense of wonder and childlike mind of wonder and compassion, is to make a statement of little value.
P.S The thoughts here are purely non-religion based, Its about creativity and not religion.
This time at Sunday scribblings, the prompt was about "out of this world". I've reacted to it in this way here. Would love to hear your reaction to it.

20 comments:

Unknown said...

Isn't it kinda stupid that just about everything has to be linked to religion?

Jaya said...

Religion is a sensitive topic. For few people it is above their family and themselves. They will not take any other argument except whatever was sown in their mind. Hence you see so many controversies regarding how to interpret GOD.

If you ask me, He is within you and guides, warns and make you successful. If you want to see Him, look within.

Prats said...

@j Thats the wya it works I suppose...if You put out any image it automatically gets compared to religion.

@joy. Yes religion has been a sensitive topic. BUt where art is concerned I don't think any thing needs to come in between the artist and his vision

Preeti Shenoy said...

Actually its is really deplorable that a such a powerful medium that trandecends all boundaries and is the ultimate expression of your innerself, and is freedom personified ,is getting tainted with the views of some stupid,frog-in-the-well, narrow minded thinkers, in the name of protecting religion.I feel so strongly about it.Even the 'educated' get swayed.

Rambler said...

you know as a kid..apparently first thing I ever drew apparently was a dosa and chutney..:D..my dad still pokes fun of me for that one lol

you have a very serious topic over here..should creativity be censored..should one really worry about social implication of creativity.. I think we should..to consider the extremes..isn't porn creativity..I think yes..but shouldn't one should worry about the society too right.. I know the religion or paintings cannot be compared to porn..but still sometime the sensitivity of the audience forms an important part of our creativity..

ceedy said...

art is the reflection of ones thoughts and process...agree with your argument here - i always end up upsetting people when i question the norms in traditions when they say "it has to be done like this" or "it has been done for centuries"...

good insightful post....but i believe critics are just another bunch of people who have to WORK right

aMus said...

religion and us...the less said te better...in te name of religion, a lot has been lost and little gained...its sad, isn't it?

Anonymous said...

ahh well even the silliest of things is blown outta proportions in the name of GOD!

i wonder what GOD has to say about it .

He should having an identity crisis with so many pics of HIM circulating around :))[pun intended of courzz]

Prats said...

@ps You are so right there. The whole concept of reflecting one's thoughts into a medium gets tainted....

@rambler Dosa?? wow!!! thats a first I've heard. But its obvious from there that you wanted to do what came to your mind and not what was the 'done thing'

AS to censored creativity...here it was about art. Porn could be a wholly different topic altogether, 'cos its not universal and also art is miles apart from porn.

Art is about expressing your inner emotions onto paper. Here, the artist was ebign critiqued for the look of his character...when there has been no references as proof at all..

Prats said...

@ceedy You are right there. I can understand those "its not done like this in the olden days"
Your profession is a lot similar to what scenario I was talking of here....One person's design can get pulled down just becos the individual doesn't get impressed with it...I know how that is..and unfair to the creator.

Prats said...

@veens...identity crisis, oh yes!! A big one at that....
BUt if he didn't like his many forms, maybe he should just come down and let us know he really looks :D

Anonymous said...

now thats what i wanted to say exzactly Prats :))

but then.. when he does come down.. tere will be a fight on what he looks like.. we will have zillions of people thinking of his "rupp" as somethig and then fighting.. on THAT!

so GOD.. U stay put whereever U r :))

Imagination causes such havoc.. then i dnt wanna think what wud happen if HE cmes down :)))

I am said...

Emotional Ecology!!
..he he hilarious blog title...and interesting post..

ran into you from Laxmi>> Veens

love said...

there is no need to defend either the creative artist or God,since the former is nonchalent while the latter is in all forms.
that being so, i enjoyed reading the piece for its thought-process and presentation. but for the ongoing criticism/discussion, such a production wouldn't have been caused.
none can say anything new, as all things have been already said. therefore the way a thing is said, counts.
prats! u have said it very impressively. well done!

Bimla Kalauny said...

We're getting more and and more ridiculous - all our perceptions are getting skewed out of all proportion. Political correctness has come back to bite us - now, we've become plain intolerant.

Its all about idea supremacy - and to think that we are the land of the Ajanta/Ellora art forms.

rayshma said...

my 2 cents: i don't think anyone has the authority or the ability to "curb" another's creativity.
issues arise when the said creativity is catering to mass tastes... and that is where stereotypes set in... they may mar the creativity... but it's that part of the give & take... where in order to get *adulation*, u give *creativity*
p.s.: nothing justifies asking an artist to check another's work for inspiration/reference!

Prats said...

@veens God!! you have such a vivid imagination...lol!!!

@I am....Welcome out here...thanks. I hadn't actually thought of my title being funny....wonder how it is so?

Prats said...

@love Thank you. You said it so right...

@madhumita Yes it has come to a stage where most of them are reaching out only to work for appreciation in material forms.
Its getting very hypocritical in many ways

Prats said...

@rayshma...I'm sure it hurts the artists feelings much more than a bad product of his, when he's asked to work like another...

Tys on Ice said...

I think this whole pursueing of something that doesnt want to be found pretty ridiculous...and to build a whole bunch of rules to it borders on madness...

i think art shud be left alone...if we dont allow expression it ends up as repression which has a tendency in coming forth as something mutated and ugly...

i feel the artists shud be gven complete freedom to express in any way...paint the gods nude, having sex, raping ...after all, if we are in the image of it, theres nothng much new u can contribute to it...