Art and State be conscientious

L M Mario *

We live in a sea of images conveying the culture and learning of modern civilization. Fostered by an unprecedented media Explosion, this "Visual background noise" has become so much a part of our daily lives that we take for granted. In the process we have become desensitized to art as well.

The only Fine Art College in Manipur since 1949, The Imphal Art College, Imphal is today on the making of social consciousness to art and the State, an esthetic reality in this part of fhe country.

The people itself (I do not mean the 'masses') has always given art its essential style. The artist merely clarifies and fulfills the will of the people. But when the state does not know what it wants, worst of all,.wants nothing, ... then its artists, driven to seeking their own forms, remain isolated, and become martyrs...

The grand exhibition of fine arts, - mainly paintings of various mediums and five sculptures, put up by The Imphal Art College Students which was on view, selected 51 works in number from 22 - 25 November 2012 at the State Art Gallery, - Department of Art and Culture Government of Manipur, Konung­mamang complex, gives us an inevitable glimpse of that high spirit of art prospect in our State of Manipur.

The output of the exhibit was awesomely satisfactory on the whole and bore evidence of a remarkable freshness of pictorial expression, very close to our environmentaj nature and technical acumen on the part of the several young artists. They deserved our sincere pat on their back and congratulations too t to their staff members. They are so young and yet so perfect in their learning.

An artist whole sole aim is to express its truth. Nabayum's the Tree of Life is a clear point. Centered on the tree trunks and its branches, leaves and all around bellow - his conceptualization to what nature is that a man should love it, brings out by merging and blending with his finely natural touch of light colour in green, yellow, blue and white all over the form of composition in the best perspective and thus making it stand as beauty not the only aim of art.

From the country scene landscapes in water colour and water-proof ink - by S.Ranjan and Nongpokhenba are of masterly touch creating harmony in nature in a poetic climate, all soft and gentle always seem to inviting in the creation fill with .in-flowing mood which shows that there is no abstract art.

It is neither too far nor too close to see the depiction of one's innate culture in all oil paintings: tribesmen making basket, a group killing a hunt, legendary story of lovers Shimreishang and Meitonphy on top Sirui mountain, Kabui folk-dance in the court-yard, traditional Meitei women fishing in Loktak, Rash Lila-dance, three traditional Meitei devotees performing puja in the court-yard, etc. are all in imitation which is not inspiration, but of course inspiration only can give birth to a work of art. The least of man's emanation is better than the best of a borrowed thought.

In a variety form of those - design, wood-cut, pop, mixed media, pencil and cement etc. works to mention a few are expressions all heavily unloading idioms of the artists' feelings. It can be said that the artist should fear to become the slave of detail. He should strive to express his thought and not the surface of it. For it is the first vision that counts - for no two visions are alike, and those who reach the heights have all toiled up the steep mountain by a different routes. To reach has been revealed a different panorama. Because we know art is not made to be understood.

And with the case show exhibition our trend of thought to art is that of naturalistic bent. An extraordinary height of intuitive potentiality for creativeness is obvious among our young artists. But the need have space for insertion is still a hard search. Art and state must be conscientious in providing the solution.

Indeed it's a matter of a conscientious government of the state should consider the art in the light of unity and indivisibility of the democratic freedom by which they should help to spread the progress of the human spirit and to propagate and transmit to posterity the striking examples of the efforts of a tremendous people who, guided by reason and philosophy, and thus bringing back to earth the reign of liberty, equality and law - in other words, peace and development.

Too long have negligent, no proper art institute or college established, even of the image of virtue kept thought itself in chains; on the other hand encouraged license to many private individuals and stamped out genius to public through various corrupt practices; the arts are the imitation of nature in her most beautiful and perfect form, a feeling natural to man attracts him to the same end.

'The separation of art from life in modern societies is not a trivial matter, for how can we define the good life and live it with grace if we leave aesthetics to specialists? We can neither abolish nor ignore the confusion, anxiety and loneliness of our times - and we cannot recapture the unitary vision of tribal societies. We simply do not live like that anymore.'

Art is a poetry. "And poetry is an art. The content of every art is the power of that poetry. This magical eidetic relationship between art and power or state is best expressed in John F. Kennedy's words, "When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitation. When power narrows the areas of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses. For, art establishes the basic human truths which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment."