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The following are dramatic & powerful paintings byartist Nitin Utge.
This Mumbai man studied at the Abhinav Kala Mahavidyalaya in Pune, Maharashtra. Utge's paintings are often bright , highly contrasted images of either clowns or children. These are often working class children, a phenomenon peculiar to third world countries such as India. Nitin Utge is preoccupied with the lives of these children, forced into labour . He catches them with their guard down, in hopes of a better life . The masks are a pretty obvious metaphor of the child's putting on of a brave face for the world.
I love the fact that they are definitely quite beautiful. But eventually , they portray a very sad, reality that we all witness on a daily basis and do not do a whole lot about. This isn't exactly a socio-economic forum , but do you think art can help these kids from not-so-privileged backgrounds? If so how? I love to hear thoughts on this.
there's a definite melancholia to these (and the clown masks just scare me silly.) Art may not be able to enact a direct and significant difference to the lives of these children, but it can raise awareness and encourage us to question the world we live in, the society we are responsible for creating. If these paintings can evoke these questions in a few people, the smallest gesture from this could have a huge impact on someone else's life.
ReplyDeleteI think that is the main purpose, if any, of all art, to make us question, challenge, and understand life.
Headmistress: I agree with you but I meant art helping out in a more direct way. If you havn't already, do watch Zana Briski's 'Born into Brothels'. Briski documents the lives of children living in the red light district of Calcutta. Without giving too much away- it's beautifully shot & a great example of how art can change lives in a very active way.
ReplyDeletei've been meaning to get hold of that! will do.
ReplyDelete