2. What is Arts "Art cannot be taught, it comes from thinking. But it can be improved by practice." A beautiful work of Art has the power to hold attention of its viewers. Art is medium of communication between the artist and the onlooker. The conversation created by the artist, makes his art meaningful for the humans. But, of all the artistry in the world, the most beauteous are those which have been created by the Mighty God and it is with His approval that the human race can create a remarkable piece of art. According to a famous Art Historian, 'Art, for human is the occasion for expression, talking, verbalization and speech, and for the representation of beauty, truth and perfection. However, the real height of beauty truth and perfection is God and all His creation." Art can either be seen as a collection of its admirers or as a piece of work which can serve the needs of others. Also, Art has an aesthetic value. It has been rightly said that, “Art is a craft, but not just any sort of craft. It is a craft of expression - of someone's feelings or thoughts, and it can take many forms depending on a chosen medium."

3. How is Art different from Craft? Art and Craft are often seen as synonymous to each other as both are a form of creative expression. But these are essentially not the same. Let us consider the difference between the two. While Art is way of expressing emotions, Craft is a form of work that results in tangible output. For instance, carving and other replicable forms. The first conceived image of Ganesha, was a work of Art and not Craft. Art is often described as unstructured and open ended. It has no boundaries of expression, such as in painting. On the other hand, Craft is generally structured, which means that it has a certain visible form. While Craft can be quantified, it is really difficult to quantify Art. It is easy to replicate Craft, while Art cannot be replicated. Whereas Craft attracts the viewers, Art move them emotionally. For instance, a beautiful painting can arouse emotions in the on-lookers while a stunning piece of jewellery can a great attraction. Art is a result of an individual’s innate talents whereas Craft skills can be acquired with experience. Among the two, Art is closer to aesthetics. Usually a craftsperson has an idea about what he/she actually wants to create, while Art is an out flow of emotions. Painting, architecture and sculpture are examples of art forms. While, Pottery, metal works, glass works and jewellery are some works of craft.

4. Role of Art Back in the ancient age, Art was more in practice than it is today. It was a prominent part of human activity and documentation. The aim was to pass the information about their everyday activities and experiences to the coming generations. It has rightly been said by Leo Tolstoy, “Art is a human activity, consisting in this, that one man consciously, by means of certain external signs, hands on the other feelings he has lived through, and that other people are infected by these feelings and also experience them." Art also played a vital role in religious activities and as an icon of community’s beliefs. Over the span of time, Art has evolved from a necessity to a luxury which only the elite can afford.

5. Role of an Artist The role of an Artist in the ancient age was to document the world they lived in, in a work of Art. We can see this in the cave painting at the BIMBEKA IN MP (Paleolithic Age). In the Age of Animism the artist was a presenter of artistic work. His job was to create the object based on the community’s beliefs. In the era of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam, came the artist who created the work of Art as per the religious ideology. A famous Art Historian once stated, “Ancient art was the tyrant of Egypt, the mistress of Greece and the servant of Rome". According to him, during the primal age, the role of an artist was to create Art as per the needs and beliefs of his master. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that an Artist’s role in those days was not to create Art just for the sake of it, but it involved the whole idea of a community’s beliefs.

6. Originality, Tradition and Beauty of Art Art isn’t meant for any particular person, rather it is for all. An Art which generates from tradition is the one which has been passed on from the past generations to the present ones. For instance, the art of wood carving, weaving and so on. One of the reasons that led this movement was the religious needs. For instance, in Islam the work of calligraphy and the architectural designs of the mosque is the art form that has been passed from the ancestors to the coming generations. Aristotle(384 BC – 322BC) once said, “Beauty is a gift of God” and was absolutely right in saying so. Allah has created this beautiful world for us and the creative ability he has given us is a blessing. A work of Art and beauty cannot be separated. “Beauty is everywhere, in the arrangement of your pots and pans, on the white wall of your kitchen, perhaps more than in your eighteenth- century salon or in the official museum."

7. Nature of Art Art is an opportunity for the artist to narrate the story of the time gone by. Through this we get the knowledge about our ancestors and their culture and religion. Art is for everyone and all can benefit from it in one way or the other.

8. What makes a “Good Art?” It has been rightly stated that “Good art can work on many levels and is capable of many interpretations." But what constitutes a “good art?” Is it the art which is conceptually unique and well-executed? Is it that which is popular, widely consumed, unanimously loved? Is it that which awakens our consciousness, helps us make sense of our experiences, changes our perspective, documents a reality, contemplates history? Is it simply the result of someone working hard and expressing something they’re passionate about? Is it that which is so complicated that its execution is reserved for a distinct, talented few? Is it that which is incomprehensible to the lay person but understood to someone deeply educated? Or is it that which displays an expression that is declared great by some upstanding figure in society leading others to follow suit in their beliefs, as so often happens? How, in any way, can these things not be subjective to some degree? By definition, and my personal belief, art is just an expression of human creativity, or the application of it, in a way that externalizes and physicalizes that which is inherently internal and embodied. Often it warrants a greatness and appreciation for the beauty and emotional power it holds, either for the artist or the subsequent observer. But the definition itself even renders it a subjective, individual experience. Maybe the reason we turn personal value scales into universal ones sheds light on a deeper human truth. Maybe we aggrandize our experiences to fill a void of unworthiness. Maybe we need to define people as the “other,” the lesser, the unworthy because we believe that there is a definitive right and wrong, good and bad, and we fall on the latter side of both those dichotomies.

9. If art is expressive, if it is meant to deepen our awareness through that expression, to help actualize the artist and change the viewer, how can we say which one thing is better than another? With the infinite diversity of people we encounter even just on a daily basis, how can we ever believe that just one thing is best at affecting them all equally, therefore rendering that art great? The point is: without realizing it, we determine what’s right and wrong from a creative standpoint through the experiences of other people. There is no art that is greater or lesser than another. There can be art that affects us personally to greater or lesser degrees, but that’s all. What the delineation of “good vs. bad” does for the world of art and expression is that it limits a large majority of people from ever enjoying and experiencing things fully. From how simply we scoff at those whose music interests are different than ours to how complexly we find ourselves compelled to follow the beaten path because individuality is something that is feared and avoided as it may not result in that pre-determined arena of what’s “good” or “best.” Whether we mean to or not, we stunt people from experiencing and creating art that moves them. We deprive them of the opportunity to do that which art intends: to learn, grow, change, expand, express. To be touched, to seek beauty, to find themselves as uniquely in the crevices of their abstract art as they can in the pages of a piece of popular fiction. This is how we create people who are distinct, amply aware of their own paths, and not fearful of exploring them deeper. Not being afraid of one’s own expression is the only way to the acceptance of oneself. And it is this self-acceptance that is missing from those who feel the need to tell people that their form of human expression, beauty, enjoyment, movement, experience, is somehow less than theirs.

10. Artist’s Statement Modernization has made the humans forget the true language of their inner being as well as of the Art. Art is not titillation, not information, not reduction. Art must, somehow or other, have the mysterious power of transcending history, and horizontal time, that alone allows us see things acutely. An artist must take into consideration all forms of creativity: whether of the Art, sciences and even faith and beliefs. Art is something that should come naturally. Kinetic sculpture can be exciting, but the Neolithic methods are closer to our bone. All lasting art is contemplative and does not pander to our vulgar curiosity. In this excitable age, serenity is of the greatest value. The old Indian carvings created a mood of serenity. It is these that make us really breathless. Think of the dancing Shiva! This is true poetry. So art better not be fugitive. Good art is not descriptive, rather a carrier of culturally distilled emotions. With the development of the machines and machine-like minds, the human race has been moved away from the ancient civilizations. This has led to the dehumanization if the Art itself. We have too regulated and narrow minded. This is a disaster for the humanity.

11. The Art of Irrelevance Have a life that moves on smoothly is a boon. Some squander it while other treasure it. It is a blessing in disguise for those who can differentiate between relevant and irrelevant happenings. They have tuned their consciousness to good thoughts and banished the bad ones that have bombarded us from every nook and corner. It is upto us, what thoughts we want to throw and what we want to keep. There might be a chance that we overload our minds with irrelevant thoughts, which can lead to data crash! The pursuit of happiness depends on our ability to control our thoughts and this is truly the ultimate challenge. The art of irrelevance is the skill that helps us to de-clutter our minds and take small steps towards the freedom of expression. It is good to throw or banish all that is irrelevant and keep our soul healthy and peaceful.

12. Evolution of Art There may be varied reasons for creating and enjoying art. Art plays the role of extending and expanding a shared visual language. Whenever an artist introduces a new visual idea, it is often seen as shocking and even incomprehensible. But as time goes by, the most effective ideas among these are accepted by the society. There is nothing harder than trying to grasp what was shocking or illuminating about certain images, or ways of making images, once the shock is gone, and we have all absorbed this bit of visual data into our own vocabularies. An artist shows the society, new ways of perceiving familiar things and how, with the help of visual shorthand, new situations and events can be interpreted. The creation of this visual language is either the outcome of the side effects of some purposes or of the artist’s intention.

13. What are some of the purposes that Art fulfils? One of the oldest purposes of Art was to act as a vehicle of religion. From the prehistoric cave paintings of Bimbinka in Bhopal, to the Ajanta Ellora, art has served this purpose. Since ages, the religious institutions were the primary patrons of artists. Even today, in the traditional societies, the primary purpose of Art is religious or ceremonial. Art also serves as a propaganda or social commentary in a number of cases. Propaganda images are attempts to persuade us toward particular viewpoints or actions promoted by public or private institutions such as political parties, lobbyists, governments, or religious groups. We can either approve or disapprove a propaganda. For instance, World War II efforts to get women behind the war effort, as epitomized in Norman Rockwell's Rosie the Riveter was a propaganda that the public approved of. In either case, the power of visual images has frequently been used to persuade masses of people to accept beliefs, take action, or follow leaders. The role of an artist as social commentator can simply be to make us more aware of the human condition as he/she perceives it, without suggesting any particular action. Art can also be a means of recording the visual data- the truth about what we see. After the Renaissance, artists became preoccupied with new ways of capturing reality such as the use of linear perspective, and the realism possible through the use of oil painting technique. Artists like Ramkinkar Baiz, Somenath Hore and many other who followed them began to challenge the basic idea of “what it is for an image to be true and real?” in many ways.

14. Art can be seen as eye pleasing beauty. Just like the idea of truth, that of beauty is has also been challenged in the modern era. At some point in time, an artist was expected to portray perfection- the noble ideals of beauty. But as industrialization took over, people began to question of what could and couldn’t be beautiful. For instance, M.F. Hussain could celebrate the tactile quality of paint and color in his picture, and Amrita Sher-gil could see beauty in the life of ordinary peasants. “A picture is truly worth a thousand words”. Art is also seen as an all-powerful medium of storytelling. In the middle ages, Art was a way of telling religious stories. Such as, in the frescoes Merchants in Shekhwati Region, the sequences of panels were used to tell stories from the Scriptures or lives of saints. Craftsmen who could depict powerful and subtle stories about ordinary events and people, were believed to be extremely gifted. Intense emotions could also be conveyed through Art. The expressive power of art can be seen in the ways of capturing of facial expression and body language. Certain religious art, and the works of expressionists such as Tyeb Mahta are charged with powerful emotions. In any case, one of the primary functions of art is to interpret the subject matter at hand, which doesn’t change much over time. Although new subject matters have evolved, the human condition, nature, and events still continue to capture the attention of artists. Through out the course of history as society has changed, so also has the interpretation of specific subject matter.

15. WHY SHOULD ART BE STUDIED? The best way to understand the concepts of visual arts is by changing the context in which art is seen, that is from general to specific. Learning the ways of Art is essential for every human being. Even before someone learns to write, one starts to draw. Even in the most scattered form, these drawings become the basis for writing. Art offers everyone with a wide array of rigorous learning opportunities.

16. It’s Not End, It is just a Beginning……………