South East Asian Art Market Trends Over The Past Decade Over the past ten years, the Southeast Asian art industry has blossomed and managed to carve a niche for itself in the ever-evolving world of fine arts. Factors like the uniqueness of the artwork, its place of origin or provenance, and its existing condition and quality continue to decide its value and worth in the ever-evolving art market. The rich and diverse culture of the artists of this region adds an undeniable appeal to the artistic creation and is, in a way, seen as a celebration of their roots and cultural heritage. Here, we explore some of the trends this sector has witnessed over the past decade. A Shift In Collector Preferences, To Include Contemporary Works Of Art Along With Traditional Creations The steady economic growth in the recent times has translated to a flourish in art appreciation, investment and therefore artistic creations. The increasing affluence and greater influence in matters of global politics and economics of this region, has played a part in the flush of contemporary art from this region. It is often seen as a platform to find a foot hold for region specific art, in the global art world and to showcase the new, modern face of Asia to the world. More than galleries or auction houses, it is the educated, well-heeled and wealthy collectors, who are driving this trend. The strength of contemporary art lies in its ability to highlight both local and global concerns, while remaining rooted to or influenced by a unique culture or heritage. A Shift In The Way Artists Approach Their Work The last few years has seen more artists use their art, as a voice to respond to the social and political tensions in their societies. Their art has captured the socio cultural and political landscape to create powerful works of art, while staying true to their roots.The previous few years has also seen artists experimenting with different medium, combining traditional art forms with contemporary expressions. The visual vocabulary created by these artists often reemphasize the fact that creative work can often act as a catalyst for positive change, while simultaneously managing to shine the spotlight on traditional artistic methods. The last ten years have also witnessed artists getting more attuned to market trends and collector preferences, while retaining their own artistic liberties, thereby creating pieces of art that have a global appeal. A Shift In Customer Engagement Channels These art markets have been garnering a lot of global attention in recent times. One of the main trends in this respect, witnessed over this time frame is the ease of visibility and accessibility of these art works for potential customers, through increased number of exhibitions, biennale, museums, and private patronage.What the South East Asian art market was lacking, was not talented artists, but a strong and internationally competitive art ecosystem, to showcase its plethora of fine arts. The past years have seen a dramatic change in this aspect, with Singapore emerging as a sort of cultural hub for art from this region and forming a veritable ecosystem, to showcase its delightful offerings. Art fairs are a major attraction for visitors and help hundreds of galleries, curators, artists and collectors to show, buy and sell the best of the regional art. These art fairs act as a channel to connect the artists and potential customers. A Shift In The Perspective, Where Art Is Seen As A Resilient Investment Option The recent years have seen a huge shift in the way collectors, mainly Asian collectors, view art as a solid investment choice. There is also a widespread notion that investing in South East Asian art, may offer a bargain for the collector, as they can get a quality art piece from a blue chip artist here, for a fraction of the cost when compared to established artists in the west. The rise of the tech savvy, globetrotting collector who values art not just in terms of monetary investments, but also in terms of its human and intellectual potential, has also been a major game changer. The relative stability of art in a volatile economic scenario, has also boosted its status as a solid investment option. The last few years have seen a dramatic change in the buying and selling of artwork from this region, releasing it from geographical constraints and making it globally diversified. This trend has in many ways buffered the risks, enabling the local art markets, to bounce back better after a recession. A Shift In The Customer Landscape To Include A Wider Range Of Customers, Who Understands The Value And Nuances Of The Artwork The past few years have seen a sizable increase in collectors who are young, well-traveled and social media savvy. They are better informed about the subtle nuances of the art creations and their value; money being a part of it, and not the whole. These collectors, in many cases millennial's, are a force to reckon with, driving gallery sales, aiding in museum developments, both public and private. The local art market’s strength lies in the face that most of its patrons hail from that region itself. This makes their collections more focused and often these collectors are well informed of the nuances of art, specific to that region.This time frame has seen a significant positive trend, with respect to elements such as individual buying capacity, development in cultural infrastructures, rise of art institutions and support services, to enhance the art markets. It has also witnessed favorable government regulatory climate, both within the region and internationally.These favorable trends will play a significant role in helping these regional specific markets find a foot hold in the global art markets. Author: Anupama Vijayakumar

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26 Nov 2020

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Suppose you are an art collector and have brought an artwork online. In that case, you know the usual doubts that haunt you – how do you determine the artwork is authentic, how do you trace the artist, how do you ensure your bank details are secure while making payments, how do you ascertain you will receive the piece you bought and not some cheap copy. In short, you do not want to be duped. You would be delighted if you could track the entire journey of your invaluable artwork from the artist's home to your doorstep.If you are an artist using an e-commerce platform to sell your artwork, you want your payments to process in the shortest time possible, and it would be a bonus if you could trace the payments in real-time, just like you could know the journey of your creation to the buyer. There are a few ways to resolve these suspicions for artists and collectors. In the past few years, there has been an immense transformation in technology, making it possible to secure art in a digital economy.RtistiQ uses the strengths of digital technology to secure art and brings transparency and openness to the art industry. The e-commerce platform utilizes NFC technology to enable the sellers to ensure the artwork's authenticity.NFC means Near Field Communication, which implies that the device can communicate with another device ‘near’ itself. Near-field communication is a standard for wireless data transitions. You can understand it as two devices connecting and transferring data when they come in close contact. One or both devices can contain data and read the data from the other device. In certain scenarios, only one device could be capable of reading data while the other works as a passive device simply containing the data to be read. Smartphones in contemporary world are the most common form of active NFC device, which implies that your smartphone can read information of any other NFC device when it comes in close contact with the other device. This capability is used at RtistiQ to solve the problem of ascertaining trusted transactions of buying and selling of artworkthrough e-commerce platform. At RtistiQ, each artwork is attached with a unique tamper-proof NFC tag. The NFC Sticker tag contains the basic information about the artwork such as name of the artist, artwork dimesions, style and medium of creation. This information is tamper proof and locked from further writing and provides authentication for the artwork. The NFC tags are passive in nature with a life-span of over 50+ years, and there is no security concern since the device is not connected to the internet.When an artist starts working with RtistiQ, they receive NFC tag with unique ID to be attached to each of their artwork. This information is also stored securely on the web portal with a unique key and is used to identify each artwork available on RtistiQ platform. As a buyer, you can login to the web portal to search for the artwork using the unique key. When you receive the artwork at your home, if you have the RtistiQ mobile app, your smartphone would be able to read the NFC device on the artwork and confirm that the artwork you have received is the one that you bought. You can also use the RtistiQ website to compare the ID from NFC device for authenticating your purchase.Hence, RtistiQ ensures that whether you are an artist selling your artwork through our website, or an art collector making a purchase from our art collection, you have an assurance that originally placed artwork is transacted.Provision of NFC tags for each piece of art available on our platform is a certain way to ensure authentication, but at RtistiQ, we also ensure secure transactions. We use blockchain technology to create a secure link between the physical object i.e. artwork and its digital life through the supply chain. This one-to-one link ensures absolute transparency and trust in the authenticity of the artwork, through its journey from the artist’s home to art collector’s home. Combining blockchain and NFC technology, artwork sold through RtistiQ is safe from counterfeits entering the supply chain, as well as avoids any chance of information being compromised in any way. Blockchain, put very simply, is a chain of blocks containing information. The information contained within a block depends on the type of block. For example, it may contain the information of a buyer or seller, including their names, addresses, payment methods, contact information etc. In addition, a block also contains a hash. It is a unique identification of the block and the contents within the block. If any information inside the block changes, it causes the hash to change. The block does not remain the same block. Hence, a block which has been created once with a certain information would be almost impossible to modify. As an additional security measure, a block also contains the hash of previous block in the chain. If someone tries to modify a block, the hash of the block would change, but the following block would still contain the old hash. This would make the modified block invalid and thus would not allow the transaction to proceed. In other words, any information created using blockchain technology remains immutable over time. This helps secure the transactions, involving exchange of financial or personal data. Blockchain technology works on peer-to-peer connection between devices, hence there is no need for an intermediary to be involved in a transaction. This way, payments can process without the need for a bank or payment gateway. Hence, the transaction is efficient in addition to being secure, reliable, and traceable.RtistiQ uses blockchain to store details about buyer and seller IDs. It also contains details of artwork and a unique ID to identify the artwork. All this information is part of a public blockchain and hence, accessible to everyone involved in the supply chain of the journey of the artwork. Although the blockchain is public, it is secure with the use of unique alphanumeric ID and works on the standard principles of blockchain technology to make the transactions safe.RtistiQ uses a robust alliance between NFC and Blockchain technologies to deliver digitally secure art, so whether you are an artist or an art connoisseur, you can leave the technology to us while you focus on what you do best. Author: Manisha Bhati

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26 Nov 2020

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When one brings up the topic of Unity in Diversity, India comes up in most of the conversations. This is not an anomaly per-se but India has been an example of different diverse cultures, languages, art forms, religions and a lot more existing in peaceful coexistence with each other within the same geographical boundaries. In a number of ways, these diverse elements fuse together to produce even more new hybrid elements. Keeping these cultural forces in mind India has been home to a number of schools and styles of paintings, which have evolved over a period of time since 1000’s of years, maybe even more. In their original forms these paintings were done mostly on flat surfaces like rock shelters, house walls, floors and murals. It was later that these styles were adapted on various other mediums like ceramics and fabrics. Each major school of painting has a unique story to tell and these paintings help art historians re-construct the past cultures. These paintings depict the past lives of the contemporary people who made them like their daily practices, religious rituals, favorite past times, festivals and many more anecdotes. Warli The earliest evidence of art comes in the form of Prehistoric Art, like one sees at the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka. Warli Art derives its origins from this prehistoric art. It is widely prevalent in rural districts of Thane and Nasik and other small parts of Maharashtra. This is a monochromatic art style in which twigs are used with rice paste. Usually white and yellow color on red mud walls is seen on the walls of houses. These paintings depict the everyday life of the village dwellers like their religious rituals, hunting practices and their festivals. In the 1970's, this ritual art took a radical turn when Jivya Soma Mashe and his son Balu Mashe started to paint. They painted not for ritual purposes, but because of their artistic pursuits. Jivya is known as the modern father of Warli painting. Since the 1970s, Warli painting has moved onto paper and canvas. Courtesy: http://godivinity.org/quiz-time-warli-art/ Madhubani This art form has mythical origins. According to a lot of contemporary village based artists who have kept this tradition alive, this painting style originated under the great King Janak of Mithila, which is present day Bihar and regions of Nepal. Till 1934, the outside world was oblivious about this art form. It was British Officer William G. Archer who saw some illustrations on the walls of houses of Bihar that had broken down in an earthquake. This art form uses simple floral, geometric and Indian Mythical designs and illustrations on colorful, symmetrical backdrops. Even today, Madhubani is a very popular folk art form. There are five schools within this art form which are, Bharni, Katchni, Tantric, Godna and Kohbar, which were primarily done by Upper Caste women in India and Nepal. Nowadays the Art Form has received a global outlook, which has made the Art Form go above the Caste System and there is no difference in the style practiced. Madhubani painting received official recognition in 1969 when Sita Devi (Padma Shri) received the State award by Government of Bihar. Jagdamba Devi (Padma Shri) was the first artist from Mithila to receive a National Award in Mithila paintings. Satya Narayan Lal Karn, his wife Moti Karn, Mahasundari Devi (Padma Shri), Baua Devi, Yamuna Devi, Shanti Devi, Chano Devi, Bindeshwari Devi, Chandrakala Devi, Shashi kala Devi, Leela Devi, Godavari Dutta, and Bharti Dayal are the other Madhubani Artists who were adorned by National Awards for their contributions to the Art form. Courtesy: Wikipedia (Kohbar made by artist Padma Shri Sita Devi) Phad This painting style has questionable origins but a lot of scholars are of the opinion that origins of this school of art has its roots with the coming up of Princely States in present day Rajasthan. One can do an approximate dating as this style is only executed on cloth so an educated guess can be around the early medieval period. In this form one comes across horizontal paintings of the lives of Legendary Heroes, Kings and Princes with their wars and other adventures. The most common colors used in this style are red, yellow and orange. It is interesting to see how multiple stories are narrated on a horizontal scroll. Courtesy: Wikipedia (Pabuji Ki Phad, a Phad painting scroll at National Museum, New Delhi) The Joshi families of Bhilwara, Shahpura in Bhilwara district of Rajasthan are widely known as the traditional artists of this folk art-form for the last two centuries. Presently, Shree Lal Joshi, Nand Kishor Joshi, Pradip Mukherjee, Prakash Joshi , Ghanshyam Joshi and Shanti Lal Joshiare the most noted artists of the phad painting, who are known for their innovations and creativity. Kerala Mural Painting Around the same time as the Phad, deep in southern part of the country in Kerala originated a very distinct type of painting style known for its colorful, vivacious and bold strokes. This art form is dated to around 8 th century A.D. so it can actually be put before the Phad in the chronological timeline. This art form developed as a medium of depicting spiritual and religious themes of Shiva, Shakti, Krishna and Mythology. All natural colors are used while executing this art form also known as panchavarna, most common being Ochre-Red, Yellow-Ochre, Bluish Green, Black and White. Courtesy: Yourstory By finding space for mural art outside the temples, it was the late Mammiyur Krishnan Kutty Nair, doyen of modern mural art in Kerala, who gave a new life to it during the last quarter of the twentieth century. Over the past several centuries, the pigments, glues and brushes for the Kerala mural tradition have been derived from natural sources, but now the newer promoters are utilizing modern pigments and colors for the art form Gond Painting This school of painting derives its name from one of the largest, forest dwelling tribal group called the Gonds. The Gonds are found mostly in present day regions of Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Chhatisgarh. This art form is a very unique and intricate style where the painter uses dots and dashes to complete the painting and the painting is executed in such a way that one feels that it is made of straight lines and colors. Lines are used in such a way that it conveys a sense of movement to the still images. In the historic period the colors were naturally extracted from charcoal, cow dung, seed saps and flowers. The Gonds are known for their close affinity with mother nature and hence their paintings mostly depict natural landscapes, wildlife and parts of their stories passed on from generation to generation in the form of Oral Bardic Traditions. Courtesy: Isha Foundation Today, many talented Gond artists' works including Suresh Kumar Dhurve's can be seen on canvases in art galleries internationally. One of the distinctive elements is the use of signature patterns that are used to infill the larger forms on the canvas. Due to the scarcity of natural colors in the current age, Gond artists have started to use poster colors. This combined with the use of canvas has made modern Gond paintings much more vivid than its traditional counter parts. Kalamkari Painting This is one of the most famous art styles of India and it has made a mark in the international art spheres as well thanks to a lot of patronage from people all around the globe. This art style like Madhubani has a very rich antiquity but in material record it appears for the first time on the temple walls of the Sri Kalahasteshwar Temple in Sri Kalahasti, Andhra Pradesh under the Pallava Rulers. Later this temple was further renovated under the Later Cholas and finally new additions like the Gopuram and the thousand pillared hall were made by the famous Vijayanagara Monarch Sri Krishnadevaraya. It was in Sri Kalahasti under the Vijayanagara Patronage that this art form reached its zenith. This painting style started as a temple wall decoration style where themes of mythology and festivities were depicted. Later this art form was adapted on fabric which gave it a huge international market. There are two variants in this style, namely, Srikalahasti and the Machilipatnam style. The Srikalahasti style of Kalamkari, in which the pen or the “kalam” is used for freehand drawing and filling in the colors, is a complete handwork art. Machilipatnam style of Kalamkari craft involves vegetable-dyed block-painting of a fabric. Miniature Paintings During the 10th and 11th Centuries along with the advent of Persian-ate Rule in the Indian Subcontinent a number of Persian-ate elements were introduced by painters from Central Asia like Turks, Persians and Afghans. They introduced what we now call the Miniature Paintings where illustrations are executed from natural stone based colors on paper based ‘wasli’. This painting style reached its zenith under the Mughals and it is known for the intricacy, brush strokes and symbolism. Interesting this painting has affinity with the European Renaissance art in the form of realism that is shown in these paintings. The most common example of these painting style is use of portraits of Kings and Queens to show their heroism and glamour. There are a lot of regional variations of miniature paintings, most common being Kangra, Dakkhani, Mughal, Bundi etc. Tanjore Paintings This style developed in the 1600’s in the state of Thanjavur under the Nayaka Rulers. This art form borrows extensively from the Dakkhani and Maratha miniature painting styles. The most common feature of this school of painting is the use of silver and gold foil. Most common depictions in this art form are scenes from Indian Mythology, Kingly Portraits and scenes of Festivities. Artists have taken this old form of art and over the years combined it with other styles to create mixed media arts. For example, tanjores are also done on mirrors, glass and canvas. The idea of applying gold foil is unique to this traditional art, so this same style is taken and recreated on different mediums. Patachitra This is a late medieval style of painting that originated in present day Odisha. The name Pattachitra has evolved from the Sanskrit words patta, meaning canvas, and chitra, meaning picture. Pattachitra is thus a painting done on canvas, and is manifested by rich colourful application, creative motifs, and designs, and portrayal of simple themes, mostly mythological in depiction. The patuas or the painters of the patachitras were primarily wandering artists- who would travel from place to place with painted scrolls of various deities. However, in recent times, just as the canvas has taken the shape of papers bought easily from the market many a times, the natural colours are also substituted with easily bought acrylic and fabric paints from the market. Pichwai This form of painting style originated as wall hanging cloth paintings behind the Krishna idols in the Krishna Temples of Nathdwara, Rajasthan. Originally only themes from the Krishna Leela were depicted on cloth but as time went by more secular painting themes were executed on cloth for commercial purposes. These paintings are known for colorful, robust and intricate work with concealed hidden meanings within the symbolism. Kalighat Paintings This painting style finds its origins in the mid – 19 th Century Bengal. It is known as Kalighat because it started in the vicinity of the Kali Temple in Kolkata, where Patuas sat and painted mill-made paper with flowing brushwork using earthy colors like indigo, ochre and red. The major inspiration of these paintings are the scenes from the Mythology and Spiritualism, also known as "Oriental school of Kalighat Painting". Under the influence of British and the art schools promoted by them, the “Occidental school, of Kalighat painting” included pieces that depicted ordinary people engaging in everyday life or captured the changes taking place in Kolkata at the time. These paintings are known for their swift, seamless and free flowing outlines. The late artist Jamini Roy is among some of the most acclaimed painters who have been influenced by the distinctive style. Today, Kalighat paintings appear in museums and galleries across the globe, from the Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata to the Naprstek Museum in Prague. Hence, one can see how India is a melting pot where a number of painting styles originated. However, due to Globalization and Industrialization these native folk painting styles are losing their importance and there is a lot of lack of awareness among the current urban middle and affluent class of India, who are mostly exposed to foreign painting and art forms. The Indian Government and a number of NGO’s are trying to spread awareness about these painting styles so that they can be revived. E-Commerce platforms like RtistiQ are trying to take these folk Indian art styles to the International market where these paintings can be sold and hence create a livelihood for the artists and help keep these old traditions alive. Author: Kush Dhebar

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26 Nov 2020

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The short answer is yes, you can be a full-time artist, but the path to achieving that goal can be difficult and uncertain. There is no single blueprint for success, and the journey often involves a great deal of hard work, dedication, and perseverance. In this article, we will explore some of the factors that can determine whether or not someone can become a full-time artist. Your journey is similar to many other talented artists who are excellent at what they do but are constrained to turn it into a profitable business or a career. If you are battling with these questions in today's world, you are already in a better position than someone, say, even just five years ago. Today, our world is smaller than it has been in terms of distances, yet more enormous than ever before regarding how much information is exchanged between various parts of the world. Overview Of The Art Market The art market has shown steady growth over the past few years, at an average of about 5%. According to the mid-year report published for 2020 by UBS and Art Basel, online art sales were over 37% of the total art sales made in the first half of the year, and this trend will continue beyond the pandemic situation. As per a report published by Hiscox, out of this approximate 64 billion U.S. dollars market, the online market for artwork is currently valued at 4.82 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of around 4% from 2018 and by more than 10% from 2017. Areas to consider Develop your skills. The first step to becoming a full-time artist is to develop your skills. This means practicing regularly and learning new techniques. You can also take classes or workshops to improve your skills. Create a strong portfolio. A strong portfolio is essential for any artist who wants to make a living from their work. Your portfolio should showcase your best work and demonstrate your range as an artist. Networking with other artists. Networking with other artists is a great way to get your work seen by more people. You can attend art shows, join art groups, or simply connect with other artists online via social media or other collaboration channels Market your work. Once you have a strong portfolio, you need to start marketing your work. This can be done through online platforms, social media, or even word-of-mouth. With more online platforms available now, having a presence across different region helps to promote your work better. Be patient. It takes time to build a successful art career. Don't get discouraged if you don't see results immediately. Just keep creating great art and marketing your work, and eventually you will start to see success. Becoming a full-time artist is a challenging but rewarding journey. Having said that given the advent of social-media and with trust building up through Online medium, it has become lot more easier than earlier days to reach out to more art lovers and promote your works beyond the regional limits. Selling Art Online A few years ago, finding a gallery or an agent to work with a new artist would have been brutal. There was little exposure to social media and few e-commerce platforms to sell any commodity. But with the fast-paced enhancement in digital technology, increased interactions on social media, and a reach of about 4.5 billion internet users, selling art online for a living does not seem a far-fetched dream anymore. Many factors have contributed to increasing opportunities to sell your artwork online in today's world. The demand has increased over the past five years owing to rising income and interest among middle-class consumers. Gone are the days when only a few neighborhood art galleries arranged for an art exhibition once in a few weeks. Every exhibition caters to only a niche audience as it is a themed show or by one or a handful of artists. On top of that, since the art galleries catered to known artists, the products sold by them were quite expensive for a middle-class art collector to buy. The situation was impossible for a budding artist because almost no gallery could showcase an unknown name. The Benefits There are no obstacles and no rules to sell your work online. However, the internet has provided an opportunity to buyers across the globe to find art for their unique taste, which is available in many forms, many price brackets, and available anytime. For a new artist, this is a blessing. They can target their niche collectors or sell products across diverse markets. You may want to sell various types of artwork, from paintings to sketches to crafts to sculptures. You may want to sell to multiple target groups across all age groups living in different countries. You may want to take orders and customize your art to your customer's unique tastes. All this and more is possible in the contemporary world. There are no restrictions on an artist and none on the art enthusiast. What RtistiQ Can Do For You The best part of being an artist in this modern world is how technology works in your favor. RtistiQ is one platform that provides the best technology to enhance your experience as an artist. You can focus on your creativity and leave the sales to those who are experts in selling. RtistiQ is not any other e-commerce website. We want to connect artists to connoisseurs, artwork to collectors, and payments to sellers. We provide an end-to-end service to collect your art and deliver it to its destination. RtistiQ has many advantages, including easy to use platform, secure transactions, the best representation of your artwork using advanced technology, global outreach, and interactive and worry-free service. Giving Your Art A Virtual Flair Selling art online is all about imaging. RtistiQ has that covered for you. We offer an enhanced view of your artwork to the minutest details. The buyer can easily view the artwork on their preferred premises. Our platform would allow them to have an in-room experience with the artwork. This is achieved by using Augmented Reality (AR). AR technology enables you to translate your virtual experience into a real one. In the art world, this is used to let buyers' try' the artwork in their living room. This is much like how you try different hair colors or spectacles using apps. Similarly, collectors can use their mobile phones to view artwork and place it in their room before they buy it online. The system also makes suggestions of artworks to the collectors based on their interests, which are identified using machine learning algorithms by analyzing their search and purchase history. When the buyers get an enhanced buying experience with a platform, they tend to use it more often to make their purchases. This is why platforms like RtistiQ work in favor of the artists selling their art online. Hassle-Free Delivery And Easy Tracking RtistiQ also provides the service of picking up your artwork from your doorstep and delivering it safely to your customer. During the journey, the artwork can be tracked by both the seller and buyer. Expand Your Reach Also, as an artist, you do not have to sell your art through different channels, and you do not have to register on various social media platforms to promote your art. This is included in services offered by RtistiQ through social media integration to manage the promotion of all artists and artwork on various social media platforms. This allows the artist to manage their art through a single source yet take advantage of multiple channels for marketing. Your One-Stop Platform Above all, RtistiQ provides safe and secure payment options. Your needs as an artist are – an enhanced buying experience for your customers, safe and secure payments, hassle-free shipment, and broader reach for marketing. All of this is available through a single platform to you. There couldn't be a better time to take that plunge to be a full-time artist! Why are you still thinking? To learn more about Selling art on RtistiQ, follow the Link

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26 Nov 2020

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The Starry Night The Starry Night, by Vincent van Gogh, is one of the most recognized and well-known pieces of Western art. Its ethereal swirls, mesmerizing composition, and color palette can be seen on paraphernalia ranging from t-shirts and coffee mugs to phone screen savers, making the painting more famous than its creator. But not so widely known is the interesting and often bizarre facts related to this masterpiece, its provenance, and the creation of the painting itself by the brilliant Van Gogh. In this blog, we try to delve into the realms of The Starry Night and acquaint ourselves with some lesser-known facts about this masterpiece. The Story Behind The Painting The Starry Night is an oil on canvas creation which can be categorised as a moderate abstract landscape painting. It depicts the luminous night sky over a village nestled in the hillside. The enchanting colour palette is dominated by an expressive night sky roiling with brilliant blue swirls, a glowing yellow crescent moon and luminescent stars pulsing with radiance. The foreground has a couple of cypress trees, which have been described as flame like and in the background in the lower right of the painting lies an orderly village, with straight structured lines. With its slender church steeple and cottages with lit up windows against the rolling hills, the village seems like an oasis of calm, amidst the turbulence of the painting. It is said that Van Gogh painted this scene depicting the view from his bedroom during his yearlong stay at the St Paul de Mausole asylum. He got himself admitted there, after self-mutilating himself during a breakdown where he severed part of his ear. Although the premise, as well as the inspiration of the painting was the view from his bedroom window, the actual painting does not contain the iron bars which filtered his view. The village itself was said to be inspired by his homeland, the Netherlands. As an artist who mostly paints from observation, this painting was in sharp contrast as this was painted entirely from his imagination. This painting was made during the daytime relying solely on the artists memories of the night-time sky and locations which had made an indelible impression on his mind. In a sheer stroke of artistic irony, Van Gogh who was equivocal about painting from his imagination considered this painting as a failure and tragically did not get to savour its phenomenal success. In fact, Van Gogh is said to have sold only one painting during his lifetime. Provenance After Van Gogh’s death in 1890, all his paintings were inherited by his younger brother Theo. After Theo’s death, his wife Johanna Gezina van Gogh-Bonger owned the paintings, including The Starry Night. It is this formidable lady who persevered to get the correspondence between the brothers published and promoted Vincent van Gogh’s artwork and helped build his posthumous fame. In the 1900’s, The Starry Night was sold to French poet Julien Leclerq who then sold it to an artist named Emile Schuffenecker. About six years later Johanna bought it back and passed it to the Oldenzeel Gallery in Rotterdam in 1906. Till the year 1938 it was owned by Georgette P. van Stolk of Rotteram who then sold it to Paul Rosenberg. It was through Rosenberg that the Museum of Modern Art acquired the painting in 1941 where it is now housed currently. Lillie P. bliss was the daughter of a textile owner who helped set the MoMA and donated much of her private collection to set up the core of the Museum. After her death, three of the pieces from her extensive and expensive collection were sold so that Museum could acquire The Starry Night. Some Interesting Facts Van Gogh painted an original version of the starry night titled Starry Night over the Rhone. He was deeply interested in the subject of the night sky and its ethereal light and luminescence. When the UCLA compared this masterpiece to a planetarium version of how the night sky would have appeared on the day Van Gogh painted this, it was proved beyond doubt that the ‘morning star’ depicted in the painting is in fact Venus. Vincent Van Gogh, like most post impressionist artists was known for expressing their mood, emotional and psychological state through distinct style and bold use of colour. In many ways The Starry Night symbolises Van Gogh’s own turbulent state of mind as he was trying to grapple with a mental breakdown and hence in a delicate and often turbulent state of mind. The calm orderly village with brightly lit windows could stand for hope and a sense of comfort within all the overwhelming and constantly turbulent emotions. This was one of Van Gogh’s last paintings as he committed suicide the following year. His artistic career lasted for a mere 10 years but with over 800 drawings made during this time it proved to be more productive than most artists can manage in an entire lifetime. What makes this painting endure the test of time and retain its immense popularity, maybe the strong sense of emotions it evokes in the viewer and what better tribute to the creative genius of a brilliant artist who successfully translated his state of mental agitation onto the canvas. Author: Anupama Vijayakumar

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26 Nov 2020

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The year 2020 has been unexpected, and not in a good way. Most economies in the world are struggling with the double impact of strain on their healthcare systems and losses in businesses across the globe. We are living through one of the worst times in past few decades. But there is a silver lining to all this. We have spent much more time with our loved ones, we have learned to appreciate idling away, and some of us have also recommenced our hobbies. Since people have been spending more time online, eCommerce has flourished in this difficult time. This year, the growth in eCommerceindustry has been double than that in 2019. With many places under lockdown and most people scared to venture outside in this pandemic-stricken world, one way to shop for all goods – essentials or non-essentials, is online. An interesting trend has been a direct result of people spending a lot of time at home – desire to decorate their homes. Combine all the above, and online art marketplaces have started to enjoy a surge that would have probably taken a couple more years otherwise. Art galleries and museums have started doing ‘virtual tours’ for their patrons. Art supplies are available easily online, and so is art. My children’s art teachers asked them to “visit” the most famous art galleries in Europe as part of their e-learning activities! This kind of experiences are rarely sought or available for most people. But, as people look for more avenues to entertain themselves, rather than just watch TV, opening art museums and galleries for virtual tours has brought more awareness and interest amongst a wider global audience. However, increased access to a global customer base may not necessarily imply increase in demand for art. Most people who attend these virtual tours may just be passing by. Many of them are there out of curiosity rather than specific interest in art. Such visitors simply meander through these virtual tours with little interest to engage. Nonetheless, this lack of interest could simply be because of lack of embracing technology to provide an enhanced experience by these art galleries and museums because they are not targeting selling their prized artwork online. On the other hand, some art ecommerce platforms embraced digital advancements, and started providing a superior experience to their customers through use of modern technology like Augmented Reality, AR. Those who have succeeded to engage more with their customer base have also focused on offering a seamless buying service as well. This is a terrific news for those considering selling their artwork online through artist-friendly platforms like RtistiQ. Promoting art in Covid-19 era has been easier owing to another factor viz. technology. Owing to this unique situation, digital technology has evolved quicker than ever before. On top of that, adoption of digitization has been quicker amongst those who have access. Online art marketplace became an inadvertent beneficiary of these advancements. For example, London based art gallery ‘Artfinder’ reported a surge of more than 100% in weeks following lockdown, selling an artwork every 12 minutes. Read our guide on Selling Art Online Though it is believed that the surge in purchase of artwork could mean more than just a desire to redecorate their homes. Famed neurobiologist and father of neurobiologist at the University of London, Semir Zeki, discovered that viewing art gives the same pleasure as falling in love. Government’s Role in the Recovery Process Various governments across the globe have also realized that culture and arts play an important role in not only well-being of an individual, but also of interactions within and between societies. Hong kong With tourism shutdown during pandemic, many countries have seen support from governments to jumpstart the recovery process of arts and culture. For example, in Hong Kong, the government’s Anti-Epidemic Fund has allocated around $20 million through the Home Affairs Bureau to support the arts sector. Singapore Singapore launched an extensive support scheme for the arts and culture sector, including wage support, training support, workforce special payments, and financing for digitalizing arts and cultural resources where possible. In Croatia, the Ministry of Culture is supporting independent artists who have lost income due to COVID-19. South Africa In South Africa, the National Arts Council (NAC) will continue paying artists who had been confirmed for activities with Council support which have now been disrupted by the pandemic. UNESCO UNESCO has been monitoring the scale of disruption to the cultural sector and published weekly ‘Culture and COVID19: Impact and Response Tracker’ with an intention of sharing research and experiences around the world. Their special issue published in July 2020 gave insights into UNESCO’s efforts to ensure culture has a central role in public policies for sustainable development. The issue described in detail what steps many countries from Asia to Africa to Europe to America have taken to promote arts and culture during Covid-19 crisis as well as their plans for their continued efforts beyond this pandemic. Norway In Norway, the Minister of Culture announced NOK 100 million (USD 10,6 million) to ensure that writers can continue their artistic work. Italy Italy started a system of vouchers for reimbursement or replacement of cinema, museum, theatre and concert tickets already sold. Kenya In Kenya, the government created a fund of KES200 million (US$1.9m) per month to give artists a minimum wage. Conclusion On one side we see that there is a noticeable bloom in demand for artwork online, and there are several platforms like RtistiQ that are helping artists to get closer to buyers, while on the other side, many countries have started initiatives to help further growth in the art sector. For those who are looking to become full-time artists, these are good signs that the contemporary world recognizes importance of art in relieving stress, combating depression, and supporting financial growth of an economy. We need art now more than ever and countries across the world should continue promoting art post-Covid-19 for a sustainable culture and society. Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher, and cultural critic rightly said, “art exists so that reality does not destroy us”. Author: Manisha Bhati

RTISTIQ TEAM

26 Nov 2020

5 min to read

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