CAREER OPTIONS FOR VISUAL ARTIST AND STUDENTS OF ART HISTORY
Feeling uncertain about where your life is going to go after your student life is over is quite natural. Choosing a career in art for yourself does not only require a good amount of thinking but also a good counselling and awareness about the options in the field of your choice. When you find something that you really like to do, focus on it, practice the skills you need to do it well, and read about it. Special interests and special talents can often lead to an already established career category, for example, a designer with an interest in video might prefer designing fast-paced television graphics to working in a studio on print advertising. A filmmaker who can draw, might choose animation as a career or make a complete switch over to writing and drawing visual novels.
The real conflict in choosing a career arises as a result of what may seem to be a dilemma that is not resolvable. When the work you like to do, are good at doing, is financially unpredictable, or when you like two kinds of work equally well and cannot decide between them. There are often pressures from family and friends to make choices that offer more security. Remember, though that the people who are not involved in the arts are usually unaware of the options they offer, so just because they don’t know about a particular career path doesn’t mean it isn’t a viable choice. The only way to convince them is to educate them. Few people realize that an artist can build a career on designing the books and magazines they read or on painting the images that advertise the movies they see. Even less thought is given to the kind of work involved in getting a television commercial or program on the air. The notion that the symbol identifying their bank or supermarket was created by an artist who was paid very well to do it may never cross most people’s mind.
There was a time when only painters and sculptors were referred to as artists. With greater opportunities for visually creative people, artists today make films and television commercials, design fabrics, books and interiors, direct movies, create sets for stage and television and take photographs. But while the definition of the artist has changed, the desire to create has not.
As the need for artistic talent to serve the business and industry increases, art schools and colleges continue to add courses, rethink curricula, and reorganize departments to keep pace with rapidly changing career requirements. Artistic careers have long been considered glamorous because those who succeed are highly visible and well paid. Secondly, satisfaction with work can sustain an artist beyond money and position. There aren’t many careers that can offer that kind of success to their practitioners.
The creative process has gone mainstream and the concept of art, as commodity is a fact of our times. The fine artist is now liberated from the limitations of traditional definitions of painting and sculpture – if the material are conventional, the subject matter and form are less restrictive. Work exhibited in galleries can draw its influence from the streets, the media or traditional crafts. The fine art still regarded as elite among the visual arts, remain the most difficult way an artist can earn a living. Young artists and art dealers have been known to make their fame and fortune by producing and selling paintings and sculpture, but most artists do not become rich or even make a living from selling their art. The majority of fine artists, young and old, both inexperienced and experienced, show when they can, may teach, and sell an occasional work privately. The scene has changed today. Young artists- raised on a proliferation of video film, and printed matter- are eager to have many outlets for their work and be realistic about the economics involved. Financial success whether achieved by showing work in galleries or having it printed in magazines- can only add to their reputations, so why not pursue more than one kind of opportunity? This multidimensional approach to a career will give them more flexibility to earn a living. So the artist can keep on working with total artistic freedom without letting the outside influences taint their work and also be able to earn an honest living.
Pursuing a job in any visual arts field requires focus and planning. So set your sights high, develop your talent, get experience while you are still in school/college.
In short, opportunities the visual arts offer to a candidate are various and widespread in creative world, for example a fine artists various venues in education and training, the gallery system, museum exhibits, museum director, curator, conservator, art historian, art critic etc. can be looked into. Whereas for a graphic designer, career options can be into book designing, magazine designing, corporate design, computer graphics, television graphic design, package design, exhibition design, etc. some common options for all visual artists is illustration- which can be either for adult trade books or child fiction. It can be animation, comic strips and cartooning.
Art direction is another field open for creativity. There can be motion pictures, television commercials, educational films, documentary films, career in film & video. There are certain other choices, which a person can make once one has decided the path one wants to follow.
This article is written with a desire to help its readers to understand the whole range of career options open for the visual artists. Once you start looking in the right direction you will find the life- enhancing, provocative, interesting and full of self satisfying choices you can make for yourself.
Careers in Art History
Today in the age of Art Sumits, Huge Group Shows, Specialized Exhibitions and the pulsating presence of Visual Media, the role of an Art Historian has become increasingly prominent. Much of the discourse of the 21st century is visual, whether presented as argument in exhibitions, architecture, cinema, or in printed material. Art History delves into the most important cultural issue of our time and of the past as communicated through this visual culture. Art History concerns itself with human history through the study of painting, sculpture, architecture, and the graphic and decorative arts. Art History considers these arts as creative processes—as expressions of human ideas, feelings, and conditions of life. The study of Art History allows students to immerse themselves in cultural and aesthetic issues. Through the study of Art History, students gain awareness of the values and social conditions embodied in works of art, familiarity with great works of art and architecture produced by world civilizations, and an ability to analyse and understand quality of art from diverse cultures and periods. Within the broad Art History concerns itself with human history through the study of painting, sculpture, architecture, and the graphic and decorative arts. Art History considers these arts as creative processes—as expressions of human ideas, feelings, and conditions of life. The study of Art History allows students to immerse themselves in cultural and aesthetic issues.
Through the study of Art History, students gain awareness of the values and social conditions embodied in works of art, familiarity with great works of art and architecture produced by world civilizations, and an ability to analyse and understand quality of art from diverse cultures and periods. Within the broad field of Art History, there are many areas of specialization, whether by culture, time period, or medium.
The academic approach to art history suggests that a culture’s nature is best revealed by its art. Art Historians apply that principle when comparing past eras in history or when relating forms of thought and feelings with those of other cultures. Art History course offer students the means of immersing themselves in cultural and aesthetical issues. With a degree in art history, a student gets the chance to gain the specific knowledge and skill one needs to navigate the rapidly evolving visual discourse as well as general skills, such as, Excellent communication and writing skills, The ability to collect and analyse data, Valuable critical thinking skills, The power to think creatively and offer innovative solutions, Insights into cultural and heritage issues, Advance research skills and A unique understanding into the complex patterns whereby societies define themselves .
Skills
The study of Art History develops skills ranging from specific knowledge of the artistic expression of civilizations to analysis of art works, their quality, purpose, and meaning. Well-developed writing and communication skills, along with visual sensitivity, enable graduates to contribute to and succeed in many professions. A sampling of representative skills and abilities follows:
Visual and Data Analysis | Communication | Human Relations | Research/ |
Defining quality | Writing and speaking effectively | Developing sensitivity to cultural viewpoints | Working with primary sources |
Analyzing the artistic qualities of everyday objects | Presenting and defending theories/ideas | Understanding how the making of art has changed across time | Gathering, analyzing, and organizing information |
Weighing values | Conveying complex information | Interpreting a culture’s values and beliefs | Examining evidence |
Recognizing the school/period/artist of a work of art | Describing impressionsabout art | Explaining the present by referring to the past | Evaluating research results |
Comparing artworks/ comparative analysis | Clarifying others’ thoughts and ideas | Participating in groups | Determining origins of art works |
Thinking critically | Speaking to groups | ||
Career opportunities for Art History student would include,
(i)Pursuing careers as curators or archivists at the many museums and galleries across the country, and (ii) others, knowing they have an eye for art and design, but lacking the interest in pursuing a career as an artist, use art history to hone their intellectual abilities in art for careers in media advertising, publishing, fashion and design. Newspapers, magazines and other online publications regularly seek material written by experts in a Varity of fields.
Those with Art History degree and keen writing skills can work for these outlets on a freelance basis. Others move into careers in business, government and other none profit organizations. Art buyers or purchasing agents are trusted by galleries owners etc to find art works that will help them to promote their businesses. Many positions require extensive travel to art shows, distributors and galleries. According to the US Bureau of labour statistics, museum archivists and curators “work for museums, governments, colleges, universities, corporations and other institutions that require experts to preserve important records and artifacts.” This position requires the employee to perform research, conduct inventory proceedings and attend special events.
Thus the job titles could each be found in business, government, educational institutions, museums, non-profit agencies, or arts-related businesses. A curator, for example, might be employed by a corporate archive, at a county museum, or at a university library. Similarly, an arts writer could be working at a foundation, for a local arts council, for a national magazine, or for a federal agency.
The employment outlook for graduates is competitive, but jobs are available in art publishing, art journalism, libraries, public art councils, art galleries, and with companies specializing in furniture and architectural restoration. There are some entry-level jobs in museum work.
Thus an Art History degree will prepare a student for a wide range of employment possibilities, especially important in today’s’ quickly changing world where transferable skills are a marketable commodity.
Graduates from the programme can prepare themselves to seek careers in various following sectors also.
Professors and lecturers in Art History
Museum directors
Education and public programme officer
Marketing directors
Curators
Interpreters and cultural advisors
Art journalists
Art dealers
Advertising/sales/marketing rep
Archivists
Art therapists
Designer
Editor
Historic preservation specialists
Media promotion/ production assistants
Many careers do not require a specific major but rather a wide range of demonstrated skills. A bachelor’s degree is sufficient for many entry level positions but for advancement in an area of specialization, an advance degree may be required.
Options from the List of Colleges can be availed:
College of Art, Tilak Marg, New Delhi.
Department of Art History & Aesthetics, the MS University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujrat, India.
National Museum Institute of History of Art, Conservation & Museology (Deemed University)
Kala Bhawan, Vishwa Bharati University, Shantiniketan.
Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamianagar, New Delhi.
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
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COVID, ART AND SOCIETY
Today amidst the coronavirus pandemic as we live in lockdown and face a global emergency, art continues to work as a repository of individual histories and human agency.
It represents the churning of the world. It is devoid of all suggestions of the complex vortex that we find ourselves in and we know this is not a silence of leisure. It is a pregnant silence, fertile, with many possibilities. Things are changing in this silence which is also representing a very calibrated and graded space, and each person’s silence is very different. Noise can be measured, but there seemed no plausible way of documenting or measuring these silences. It’s the urgency and restlessness about creating a space for silence that leads to an artist’s subject of creation.
As an artist I have travelled to many countries around the world and it has introduced me to a vast range of truly differing perceptions, felt ideas, and knowledge. Being able to take part in these local and global exchanges has profoundly affected my thought process regarding how the artists as individuals react differently to the same emotion and situation.
A global, novel virus Covid-19 that keeps us contained in our homes maybe for months is already reorienting our relationship to government, to the outside world, even to each other. Some changes these experts expect to see in the coming months or years might feel unfamiliar or unsettling: Will nations stay closed? Will touch become taboo? What will become of the economy?
Art is everywhere, influencing us on a daily basis, whether we realize it or not. All kinds of art can affect our mood in a positive way, making us feel happier, calmer, or even inspired to do something. Everywhere you go art is evident. During the coronavirus crisis, community support has evolved from a series of spontaneous musical flash mobs to connect with each other to coordinated displays of appreciation including clapping, shouting and singing to acknowledge the sacrifice of frontline health workers. Much like singing, this external expression of gratitude is helping people to cope in times of crises, providing personal and social development, mental health and well-being benefits, and community strength and harmony.
In its various mediums Art is vital in sustaining life. It should be viewed as highly important to education to create a thriving society with meaningful expression, imagination and flourishing cultures. Another form of art throughout history and across cultures is the use of art to tell stories. Sometimes these stories are fictional, sometimes mythological, sometimes historical, but in every case, art is an important way for information to be recorded and preserved of an individual artist in his most creative moments.
Art brings beauty into our world. It is important because it makes our world a better place. It also brings a sense of enjoyment and pleasure and allows for the expression of truth and beliefs. Some art challenges our beliefs. Other works affirm our faith. Art is an important tool in causing us to examine our beliefs in the light of an artist’s rendition or perception of truth.
Artists serve as historians in this role, documenting life on canvass, photography, or sculpture. Art may be used to express chaos and misunderstanding, or to establish order from what appears to be chaos. Art helps us organize our world. It is one means by which we understand our society and culture, and the society and cultures of others. It is important as an intellectual stimulant. A good artist advances culture and civilization by provoking thought, introspection, and discussion through triggering emotions. Subject, colour, and texture are used by the artist to evoke feelings. In this way art can serve as a catharsis, or help us uncover feelings of which we were previously unaware.
Art is not an add-on, it is fundamental, says Kenn McLaughlin, executive director of Stages. And through this virus pandemic we have seen more examples of how everyday folks and professional artists alike need to express themselves to others to combat loneliness and depression. Art nurtures the spirit and calms the mind. Viewing art makes us connect to a more universal human experience. Be it art-making at home, public murals, watching and listening to plays and music, or new-found interests in culinary arts, art is an expression of what it means to be human. We need the arts in difficult times.
Art gives us immeasurable personal and social benefits. We rely on the arts to help us through difficult times. Art reminds us that we are not alone and that we share a universal human experience. Through art, we feel deep emotions together and are able to process experiences, find connections, and create impact.
I believe that one of the major responsibilities of the artists, though the idea that the artists have responsibilities may come as a surprise to some, is to help people not only get to know and understand something with their minds but also to feel it emotionally and physically. By doing this, art can mitigate the numbing effect created by the glut of information we are faced with today, and motivate people to turn thinking into doing. That is why, I strongly feel that by bringing us together to share and discuss, a work of art, can make us more tolerant of our difference and of one another. The encounter with art and with others over art can help us identify with one another, expand our notions of we, and show us that individual engagement in the world has actual consequences. What I want to say is that, the man had become so self-centred and materialistic that the basic values of life and spirit had vanished into thin air. Nothing else mattered than winning the rat race of daily life. Then, the NATURE struck, in the form of covid-19 and people sat back and realised their mistakes. They came out on the streets, helping each others, helping those less fortunate, something they had long forgotten in their daily routine. Survival became important. Nature started smiling but humans were still to learn their lesson, to love and respect. Beautiful photographs, videos, various forms of art in confinement is keeping people sane. Art and creative approach is helping to do so. That is why I hope that in the future, artists will be invited to take part in discussions of social, political, and ecological issues even more than it is currently done and that artists will be included when leaders at all levels, from the local to the global, consider solutions to the challenges that face us in the world today. For engaging with art is not simply a solitary event. The arts and culture represent one of the few areas in our society where people can come together to share an experience even if they see the world in radically different ways. The important thing is not that we agree about the experience that we share, but that we consider it worthwhile sharing an experience at all. In art and other forms of cultural expression, disagreement is accepted and embraced as an essential ingredient.
Art influences society by changing opinions, instilling values and translating experiences across space and time. Research has shown art affects the fundamental sense of self. Painting, sculpture, music, literature and the other arts are often considered to be the natural resources of considerable quantity of a society’s collective memory. In today’s scenario, art can teach us and the society to please the senses, for the first and most basic function of art is to do just that i.e. to please the senses through aesthetics, in other words beauty, for example, a catchy tune, an entertaining play, a captive picture etc. Often, art is just something to be enjoyed. Maybe a little too simple a statement for today’s intellectuals, but true. Another important function of art is to record an event or emotion. For example, after suffering during Spanish pandemic flu, many art movements recorded the pain and suffering of that era for world to see and remember. The Norwegian painter Edvard Munch also found inspiration in the disease. The artist made Self-Portrait with the Spanish Flu and Self-Portrait After the Spanish Flu, detailing his own experience contracting and surviving the illness. These paintings, characterized by Munch’s obsession with existential drama, speak to feelings of trauma and despair that were widespread amid a pandemic that killed at least 50 million people. Illness, insanity, and death kept watch over my cradle the artist once said, and accompanied me all my life. It could be easy to think that these works are the only famous examples of the impact of the 1918 flu on the world of western fine art. Though the ongoing fight against COVID-19 has drawn renewed attention to the pandemic of about a century ago, Bottom of Form
But this is not true, the life and work of artist Egon Schiele is another example out of many more,
On Feb. 7, 1918, the artist Egon Schiele, then 27, visited his mentor, Gustav Klimt, to be his muse. But this time, Schiele had to visit the morgue of the Vienna General Hospital, to make his drawings of the renowned painter. The day before, Klimt had died of a stroke that many historians believe was a result of the flu. Schiele visit resulted in three haunting drawings of a deceased Klimt’s head, showing his face deformed from the stroke.
That same year, Schiele began working on a painting, The Family, which was meant to be a portrait of himself, his wife and their future child. But before he could finish the piece, his wife, who was six months pregnant, died of the flu. Three days later, Schiele’s life was also taken by the flu.
Just as the 1918 flu pandemic was an inescapable part of the world, the coronavirus pandemic has already become so today. Though we might not know exactly how COVID-19 will affect art and art movements to come, the visual culture has already shifted. Some are going towards showing horrors, emptiness, death, chaotic psychologically traumatic imagery others are seeking solace in the never-ending mysteries of Nature, its blessings and spiritualism. Art is going to change, world is going to change, society is going to change but Nature will remain the same and flourish.
Art works in subtle ways. It’s not going to cure those affected by the coronavirus, rescue migrant workers from their misery, or protect healthcare workers. Its function in a society is intimate and intangible, its effects slow and long-term.
Art sits within a person, offering a sense of belonging, and encouraging one to think more broadly. Creative expression is integral to our identity as humans, says Gary Tinterow, director of Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Art invites curiosity, develops perspective, and with that comes tolerance of diversity and difference.
Art is absolutely essential, says Rebecca Rabinow, executive director of The Menil Collection That is why there is no charge for any of our exhibits or events, and there never will be. We remove barriers because we believe art is for everyone.
Prof. Dr. Amargeet Chandok
Different Techniques and Trends in Indian Art
From 1947 AD. literature, science & arts have developed new techniques in almost all branches of artistic activity. Rabindranath Tagore is said to be the first man in India to paint in Modern Art. Contemporary Indian Art has travelled a long way since the days of Raja Ravi Varma, Amrita Sher-gil, Abanindranath Tagore & his followers. Let us classify the major landmarks of the modern Indian art scene. Raja Ravi Varma was the earliest to blend the Indian traditions with European techniques that included oil paint & easel painting. He recreated the themes of Hindu mythology & also made oleographs of his works resulting in a widespread reach to the masses. The portrayal is so brilliant that we still imagine the gods & goddesses just like the ones shown in his paintings. Bengal school of art in the early 20th century drew inspiration from the rich cultural heritage of India. The Bengal school artists were the revivalists who brought a Renaissance in Indian art when it was about to be lost & kept into museums as no longer alive. They brought back respect to the Indian art which was battered by the Britishers. Another major change came with the formation of the “Calcutta Group’’ of artists in 1943 against the background of Bengal famine that year which killed thousands of people. The year 1943 was the time of social & political disturbance caused by the effects of World War II & the widespread political & communal violence. The even bigger rebellious movement of Modern painting originated in Bombay shortly after 1947 A.D. by the name Progressive Art Group. It was formed to escape the limits of both colonial academic art & the ‘nationalist’ revival of the Bengal School. They wanted to express their originality in a modern style & explored the contemporary international art scene. In 1949, Delhi Shilpi Chakra came into being. This group gave a new life to artists who migrated from Pakistan after partition.
Indian art is rich and diverse, spanning thousands of years and encompassing various styles, techniques, and trends. Here are some different trends and techniques found in Indian art:
Traditional Indian Art Forms: India has a long history of traditional art forms such as Madhubani painting, Tanjore painting, Warli painting, Pattachitra, Kalamkari, Miniature painting, etc. These art forms often employ specific techniques and materials, passed down through generations.
Modern and Contemporary Art: Indian artists have embraced modern and contemporary art movements, incorporated Western influences while retaining cultural roots. This includes artists like Raja Ravi Varma, Tyeb Mehta, M.F. Husain, F.N. Souza, and contemporary artists like Subodh Gupta, Bharti Kher, and Jitish Kallat.
Mixed Media and Multimedia Art: Many contemporary Indian artists experiment with mixed media, combining traditional techniques with modern materials like digital media, installations, video art, and performance art.
Folk and Tribal Art: India’s diverse tribal and folk cultures have contributed to a vibrant tradition of art, often characterized by bold colors, intricate patterns, and mythological motifs. Examples include Gond art, Bhil art, Santhal painting, and Bastar art.
Sculpture and Pottery: India has a rich heritage of sculptural art, seen in ancient temples, caves, and monuments like the Khajuraho temples and the sculptures of Ellora and Ajanta. Pottery traditions, such as those in Khurja, Jaipur, and Pondicherry, also showcase diverse techniques and styles.
Textile and Fabric Art: India is renowned for its textile traditions, including embroidery, weaving, and dyeing techniques like tie-dye (Bandhani) and resist dyeing (Batik). Each region has its unique styles, such as Banarasi silk, Kanchipuram silk, and Pashmina shawls.
Street Art and Graffiti: Urban canters in India have seen a rise in street art and graffiti, with artists using public spaces to express social, political, and cultural themes. Cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru have vibrant street art scenes.
Digital Art: With the advancement of technology, Indian artists are exploring digital art forms, including digital painting, animation, and interactive art installations.
Environmental Art: Given the increasing environmental concerns, some Indian artists are creating art that addresses ecological issues, using materials like recycled materials, organic elements, and natural dyes.
Community and Collaborative Art: Many artists in India are engaging in community-based and collaborative art projects, involving local communities in the creation process and addressing social issues through art.
Prof. Dr Amargeet Chandok