Painter’s Hub

David Garibaldi (http://www.garibaldiarts.com) is a performance artist.Before you jump to a conclusion as to what that means here’s what it means in his own words. A performance artist is one who paints to the rhythm of music and it is an amalgamation of melody, rhythm and colors.

Hi all,

For the past few weeks I was working on a new painting series and I was having fun, during the painting session I wanted to share a few thoughts on how to become an artist? This is one of the most basic question people ask and yes this question has no simple answer. Becoming an artist is welcoming idea. But in this industry their are a few issues you need to understand before you enter this stardom field.

You need to have a training of art from an art institute which teaches not only the techniques of painting or sculpture but the business of art. Which only very a few institute gives this information. Apart from learning the art you also need to be aware of the industry and senior artist and young artist.  Be a regular visitor to all the gallery’s in your city and have network with them. Read the art critics review of an artist.  This is an on going process.

Once you have understood the art market, you have design your own business model and proceed to the future.  Either you can also be an art collector of other artist and at the same time create new ones.

Before you invest in art be sure of many factors involved in the purchase of art works. Do not ever purchase art because it will fetch more in the future. Buy only when you love the painting and you need to be proud of that art and then you decide on the purchase.  This is regarding the art investment.

But when it comes to the creation. You have to he a special style in your approach. In most of the cases it is the artists intuitions that clicks. Follow it and many artist in the past have achieved great heights.  You may see in the art world today it is mostly dominated by abstract art. So that that mean that realistic art is gone and is it a thing of the past. No. That is not the case. Every style has a market, you only need to show the art to the right market. Say for example if you are into doing abstract art and if you show the art works to an art collector who is interested in realistic art then you can not only sell the art but also you may not get a good feedback. The same art work if shown to abstract art lovers then he will give you a positive feedback and you may be lucky that he may purchase your art works.

Once such sales starts then you are in the lime light. All you need to do is to make you of the opportunity and create more such art works. But a word of caution do not do the same painting or style again and again. Then you are becoming a craftsmen and artist. You gain perfection and skill.

Artist has a unique freedom that craftsmen who has only a few option. But an artist has more options. One of the most important is that you should never stop painting. What ever happens at least sketch daily. Interact with fellow artists ,art collectors  curators you will understand the market well…

All the best

Introduction:
Each and every country has an unique cultural and traditional history and many of its cultures and traditions do change as time progress. Change is constant and so does every cultures and traditions.Being non-independent entities, society creates them. The people of each and every country contribute towards cultures in their own way. If we open the historical records we see the passion and reason behind such transitional events, which people mostly forgot in the ravages of time and in due course lost. Can a mother forgot her son’s name? As impossible it sounds, the land of Madurai, similarly cannot forgot her son R. krishna Rao.

Early Days

He did his schooling from Sethupathi High School, Madurai and came to Chennai (earlier known as Madras) in the year 1938 and joined the office of M/s. Chitale & Sons as an assistant. He had high regards towards Mr. Chitale and his family members. He used to reminisce and share some interesting incidents that happened in M/s. Chitale office with his family members for a long time.

Second world war

In the year 1942, during the period of World War II a person were shifted from city to other places for safety reasons, but Krishna Rao prefered to stay in the city and was working as part time employee with a half-a-day salary. During this time, he joined School of Arts and crafts for a five year Diploma course in Fine Arts and he was outstanding in learning art from his master and secured first class, due to this outstanding talent in art, he was given 2 years exemption and finished the course in 3 years in flying colors. Most of his paintings had themes related to landscapes, cattle, temples in and around Madurai in the style of Impressionism and post- Impressionism.

Career

In 1945, two years before India got independence; he joined the war publicity department and created many wonderful posters. Later, in 1948 he joined as a faculty in the School of the Arts and Crafts and got appointed as the Head of the Department of commercial art. He also worked as a textile designer in a firm in Tondiarpet, in Chennai, from 1946 – 1948.

Family

In 1947 the couple had their first baby girl and named her Kamala, meaning lotus in Sanskrit. In 1949, the couple had their first son and named him Jayachandar, who is currently a contemporary artist in Chennai. There is a small anecdote behind the naming of their second son as Srichandar. When the artist was in Benaras (also known as Kasi or Varanasi) and enjoying a boat ride on the river Ganga, he lost his balance and fell into the flowing water. A person by name Sri Chand rescued him and thus saved his life. As a thanksgiving gesture the artist promised that he will name the next child, if it was a boy, as Sri Chander and thanked him. And in 1952, when the couple had their third son he remembered his promise and named the child Sri Chander. They had their youngest son Balachander in the year 1954

Reaching the peaks

The year 1949 was considered by him as one of his milestones, when he designed the monogram for Tamil Nadu state replacing the colonial symbol used even after India’s Independence.  In 1965, he was promoted as vice-principal and transferred to Government School of Art and Crafts, Kumbakonam, in Tamil Nadu. In 1968, he became the Principal of College of Arts and Crafts and had retired in 1971. Few years from retirement, in 1974, he became the Director of the Art Department at Kalakshetra, founded by Padma Bhushan Rukmini Devi Arundale. The artist reached the heavenly abode on 31st July 2006.

Awards

The artist was awarded a fellowship by Tamil Nadu Ovia Nunkalai Kuzhu in 1980. And in 1985 he was awarded the title of Veteran Artist by All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi. In 1991, he was honored with the most prestigious award Kala Vibhusan by the then Prime Minister of India Shri. Chandra Shekhar Singh. The world famous philosophical center of Kanchi Kamakshi peetham, Kanchipuram awarded the artist the title of Chitra Kala Sagar on 1st January 1995.

Commissions Works
Conceived and designed the temple gopuram emblem of the Government of Tamil Nadu (1948).
Designed the Government of Tamil Nadu raffle ticket with the motif of a boy raising his right hand (1971).
Organised and worked, in an honorary capacity, for many district level art organisations (Padappai, Chennai, Vellore, Tiruchirapalli, Madurai, Tirunelveli and Kalakuruchi).

Exhibitions
Participiated in many group shows and one man shows. One of the most important exhibition in his career was the Retrospective held in Chennai in the year 1995

A web site has been inagurated in the artist’s name on 4th November 2009 the same day when the artist was born. Visit www.artistrkrishnarao.com and do visit gallery of paintings and his torch bearers…