The Hidden Persuasions*

The Hidden Persuasions*

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Pet Animals & Meat Animals

Why do the West go bananas over only Dogs & Cats?!! And at the same time continue to slaughter and voraciously devour Cows, Pigs, Chicken, Turkey, Eggs, Fish...?!!
Wish the same love would emerge and would get bestowed upon other 'Life forms'?!!

These clench-fisted, teeth grinding, self righteous angry PITA/Greenpeace activists have no qualms about lining up in front of MacDonald's and Berger King's and consume huge amount of meat and fish everyday!!

Somehow down the line this love for animals: “Pet Animals”and “Meat Animals” have merged and have become one obscure and vague, abstract and absurd, tragic and comic socially accepted behaviour. The 'Hidden Persuasions' in our society have been orchestrated by the vested interest... by the money making factor.
The American President discuses his 'new dog' buying dilemma with his citizens even before he has stepped into the White House... Most citizens in the West are brain-washed about care and love for animals... if you don't love a cat or a dog you are a social outcast.. a weirdo !!

To be a modern liberal citizen you have to show your unconditioned total love for cats and dogs!!

Behind this social conditioning campaign, persuasions we have the real players at the background: the multi-million dollar 'cat & dog' selling industries!! And multimillion dollar cat and dog 'food' manufacturer!! And 'vets' and 'medicines' and grooming and pet care shops... all making money in an organised manner at the stupidity of “dog-cat” loving PITA citizens!!!

The so called doctors and social scientists come on TV and give their 'expert opinion' about positive aspects of keeping theses pets: "Dogs will teach your children love, cats will give you healthy long life, fishes in the aquarium is good for your heart, blah, blah, blah..."

The result is people are buying pets in such numbers in the West that it has grown into a multimillion dollar enterprise!! In the same way as the meat and fish industry!! While millions of cows and pigs and chicken line up on conveyor belts to be slaughtered, fishes are hauled up form sea and lakes for the consumption by the same "animal-loving crazy-citizens"... The meat industries makes a neat profit!!

But all this is at a great cost of the health of its citizens... both physical and mental!!

To make more profit and to meet such unrealistic demands for meat and pets... scientific methods are used to bring more animals in this world.. their DNA is tampered and modified...

The life of these “Pet Animals”and “Meat Animals” are both tragic and sad... on the other hand we the humans too suffer... obesity and diseases from these habits are a way of life now in most developed nations...

There was a time when meat/fish etc. eating was a once month/week occasion and was eaten with great relish... and every part of the meat (inclining the bones, skin, head etc.) was cooked/consumed. Now meat is cheaper than grains and vegetables and eaten from sun rise to sun set.. and most parts are thrown or wasted...

Dogs and cats are breed in great numbers and their DNA is modified to make them look pretty and homely.. cats nails are clipped... fur washed.. and we have an industry supporting them..

Once upon a time dogs and cats belong to your home or neighbourhood/colony /area.. we would leave leftover food... they lived on their own.. not in our bedrooms... they eat healthy, hunt and eat natural food... not the tinned animal food now we stuff them with... and likewise get all sorts odd diseases!!!

Pets were always there... but it was OK when our lives were rural... we needed a dog, cat... it had a job to do... now people keep dogs and cats and avoid all human contact!! They live with pets as if they are their family!! They talk to them and walk with them, eat and sleep on the same table and bed... When these sad people die they leave behind their money and property in their pet's name!! The same lonely people would but cringe at the sight or sound of a fellow human!!

Is this all normal?!!

Even fifty years back it was rare to see an obese person... now its just the opposite!! Same about pets!! Most urban Indians too are not far behind in their obesity and obsession to own a pet!!
This is not a just Western phenomena now... The third world countries also are closely, avidly following... Albeit only the rich and 'educated' class.. Those who have the resources and the 'education', ape their ex-masters blindly.


Nandi sits peacefully in front of a house, Krishnanagar, West Bengal, India Jan 2011

These, once vegetarians (am talking of Indians here), respecting all forms of life are now eating meat and keeping expensive exotic dogs and cats as a sign of their 'avid love' for animals and Nature and most importantly to look "Western"**!!

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*Taken from Vance Packard's The Hidden Persuaders.. we had a copy of the book at home... I use to read it many a times during my art college days...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vance_Packard




** A very interesting fact here... the West, Europe etc had a long tradition of keeping dogs when their society was mostly rural, agrarian... dogs had a job, to look after the vast stretches of land and the domesticated animals etc. When they moved to city/urban life due to industrialization the usefulness of dogs had diminished...but tradition, life-style don't go away so easily... Yes industrialization, urbanisation has also brought with it loneliness etc. The popular reason (for keeping dogs etc.) which everyone talks about...
Once when I was having a conversation with a polish friend and asked why so many dogs in polish cites etc. His reply was the same... and he was embarrassed about it!! (as it shows they were once simple village folks etc !!)
This friend said... pointing to his 'city people'... 'only few decades back these people were simple framers living in this very place..which was then a village... or on the outskirts of this region. Once they lost the land etc. dog was the only memory of that past.' Many old people keep dogs here in Poland.. and it has been past on to their children.
Now the interesting part... when we compared notes with India!!! Indian villagers don't have the same relation with dogs as it's counterpart in the Europe/West etc.
So why do Indians when they moved to a urban life.. keep a dog?!!
Of course because we still copy our ex-Masters!!
Most Indians talk with their dogs in 'English'... and name their pets as: Jimmy, Tommy, Tiger etc!!

Reminiscences of an Unknown Artist

Reminiscences of an Unknown Artist

There is an old proverb in India... "an artist can change society.."

And like the most old sayings, its not applicable in this twisted world of today!! 'For an artist, poet, et al to do so, they must come up from cream of the society...' V.S. Naipaul said somewhere. Since most of the bright and talented are driven these days to opt for other lucrative careers, less and less talented are into writing, paintings... etc. And thus we see a drastic fall in the standard of thinkers, poets, writers, artists, musicians, intellectuals... most are of poor intellectual level and without real talent. This trend is more defined in the last 20 odd years. Back in school, I remember when we had to chose in Senior Secondary School (Class/Standard 11 & 12) after completion of Secondary School (Class 10) I was the only one among boys to take up Arts (Humanities) rest in my group were all forced to... as their grades/marks were too low!! All the "bright ones" en mass joined the other two branches: Science and Commerce... All the top graders/toppers went to Science, the next best took up Commerce.. and the rest, the rejects, the dumbs, the stupids.. had no choice but to take up Humanities or leave studies!! In Art college, which one could joined only after the completion of 2 year of Senior Secondary(+2) many boys came came via a stint or struggle of few years in Science/Engineering/Commerce colleges etc. The only exception were the girls, they all came straight from school as Indian parents consider 'painting' as the ideal hobby-course for their daughters!! It raises the bar for them, in 'arrange-marriage-market'!! In the case of boys it was a disaster to be in an Art college!! A common joke in our art college days:

One mother to another:

"What does your son do?"

"He is painting... artist."

"OK, but what does he do?"

Painting, sculpture, pottery etc were meant only for girls, it enhances their charm in the arrange marriage!! I am sure things haven't changed much since.

An artist can change society etc. only when he has come up the right way.. Through his talent and hard work... An artist who is weak, corrupt, one who is here only for the lure of money can hardly do anything worthwhile.. As a child my father would constantly say: "Only the best should be in Fine Arts, there is no place for the the second best in art... You are either an artist or not at all.. You can not be a 'bad artist'... its a misnomer!!"

But now, like most old sayings, proverbs it's not so.
The art world is a crowded place... all and sundry can be artist!! The right connection, the right look, ability to speak English and you can be one!! Your ability to draw or paint is of no consequence!!

I continue to paint... the only gift I was born with...
River Warta, Poznań, Poland Dec. 2009

Artist community driven only by the lure of money has created a strange kind of breed. Let me illustrated the point with some real life anecdotes.

One of my aritsts' friend's father also an artist, in his younger days had gone to Kathmandu, Nepal for a show with his fellow artists... The show was a dismal failure in terms of turn outs and sale, as was the case with most art shows during 60s, 70s. At the end of the show they sat looking at the 'streatched canvases' and wondering how they would take it all back etc. Having exhausted all their money in putting up the show in a far away land.. Some hanger-ons and passerby suggested "Why don't you leave it here?"

The group of young artists decided to burn their works outside the venue on the street in a huge bonfire and came home empty hand...
That was the case then... And now... read on... 

Now let me give you today's scenario: one of my buyers from Bombay, who I feel is a bit of a connoisseur tells me this:

"Roy, tell me what's wrong with you guys? You know I love to browse through art shows/galleries etc after my office. Many a times after office, love to go to Jehangir art gallery, but if it happens to be the last day of a show and closing time... then I had it!! Artists exhibiting would follow me out and beg on bended knees:

"Please sir, please pick up any work.. price no issue.. its our last day etc.!!"

"Please sir, we don't have money to take them back!!" "

My face turned red and burned with shame as I heard this about my fellow artists, I wanted to disappear..

Here is one moreanecdote..
There is an old-old distant aunt living in Italy... once a contemporary of M.F. Husain, F.N. Souza, S.H. Raza, Biren De etc. fairly successful artist of 50s, 60s.. Then she like many migrated to Europe, and she is very honest about it... "Animesh all these artists who are now big in India, all drove away to the West for money. India in the 50s, 60s, 70s was a tough place for artists with a very bleak future.. One could only at best get a school teacher's job... So don't you believe all these romantic bullshit about being driven by desire to see Cezanne and to study European art, it is all a cover-up... All were looking for a way to be able to sell, survive from the sale of their work.. and what better place than the West in those times?" Many got married there and settled down... And many more managed various scholarships year after year to prolong their stay... And once there, their artistic stature too raised back home... 'Indian Artist in Paris/London/Rome' had a charming effects on Indian collectors...

Now this aunt few years back was planning an exhibition in Delhi and asked me to take her around some galleries to catch up the trends and to see gallery-space etc. So we go into a public gallery with a show going on, she looks at the works hanging on the wall, the 'Artists' is present, rushes with his price list. My aunt asks the young man some questions about his works, prices and gives her good wishes and we leave. As we do so, the artists has followed us out and confronts us with:

"Madam how much you want to pay?"

Once my old aunt, in the 60s was exhibiting in Bombay and a very well know starlet had dropped in.. I don't remember the details, but she threw out the film star on a minor issue:

"Miss, please get out!! This is no film-set of yours..its an art gallery!!" etc.

That was then and this is now... I see innumerable snapshots of todays' Artists getting their shows "inaugurated" by nondescript actors, TV anchors, politicians, models... I just cringe in shame!! These artists have plummeted to an abominable depth... Lining up with two-bit starlets and politicians to sell their wares...

Do we really need them to enhance our work?!

According to an aspiring Artist, I meet some time back, we do. I was planning a show in the capital after a 10 year hiatus!! Someone suggested I speak to this young artist, well versed and up-to-date with present day scenario!

Called him up and he replies like a pro:

"Look dude, this is long term."

"Yes I agree, " my reply.

"See I am doing it very methodically..."

"Sure that's the way to do it.. long रिअज़, लगन,  practise, साधना.. as our Gurus, our उस्तादs would say..." I added my bit.

There was long silence at the other end and then the young upstart says:

"Look I have been going through 'Page 3' of all English Dailies and making cuttings.. and now, I know fairly well 'who's who of art' and what to do.. I advise you start your research too."

He sounded dead serious !!

As I reached my venue to put up my works on the D-day... the artist who's show had just finished, was winding up.. He was in high spirits. He had managed to sell most of his works, wares.. No, he wasn't from any recognisable Art Schools!! He had put up his show with his equally enterprising wife, a broad spectrum of works, paintings - acrylic on canvas depicting Ganesha (Diwali was right around the corner), and portraits of a grotesque looking man he proudly claimed to be of Buddha!!

"Buddha is very popular now.. more than Ganesha!!" he proffered.

There were sculptures, pottery and a huge eagle in plaster of Paris!! His show looked more like an Indian Government School Art Room!!

"So who is inaugurating your show?" he asked, as he started to pack the huge plaster eagle...

"No one in particular.. actually no opening ceremony... just some of my friends are coming etc.." I mumbled at him.

"No-no-no-no.. you have to call some celebrity, then you see you get mentioned on Page 3 etc. etc.,"  was his shocked response.

He looked at me as if I was suicidal!!

My show was a quiet affair and most disappointed were the gatekeepers of the gallery:

"किया साहब, आप भी... "

"किसी Mandira Bedi को बुलाते, दीखते कितने काम आपके बिक जाते!!"

(What sahib, why didn't you call some starlet? All your paintings would have sold!!")

He obviously did not mention his chance at ogling at some skimpily clad starlet!!

He was right, I didn't attract much crowd during the show and sold even less!! During the show one of my old gallery owners from a now well-known gallery came to cheer me up... While with me at the gallery he was busy talking most of the time on his mobile.

"Yes, yes, lots of Page 3 people are coming (and he parroted off a list of 'VIPs of Page 3' from Delhi)...."

Needless to say he was in the processing of organising an Art exhibition, à la India style!!

You can view my works here..
http://royanimesh.blogspot.com/
http://www.animeshroy.com/

https://www.facebook.com/animeshroyartisthttp://facebook.com/animeshroy

Paint-By-Night-Sell-By-Day-Acrylic-On-Canvas-Artist

'Acrylic on Canvas'

I am no 'paint-by-night-sell-by-day-acrylic-on-canvas-artist'!!

Is this the only medium available to artists in India!!?

When there are other (better) time-tested medium/s...

So why do most contemporary Indian Artists paint exclusively in Acrylic?

Is it a shortcut to fame and money?!! To paint more and sell faster? An easy way out?!! Or is it because Oil is expensive and takes more time, effort and skill to use etc.?!

While there are only a few artists in the West (especially in Europe) who would paint in Acrylic, there are only a few Indian artists who paint in Oil!!

I am no 'paint-by-night-sell-by-day-acrylic-on-canvas-artist'!!

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I have never hung on (like parasites do) to an art institutionº or go from one Foreign Aid/ Scholarship to another to stay afloat.. I have never tired to get into any art college do my 'Masters' and more!!

I didn't had to create Video Art, installation art etc. to stay in news...

I have kept it simple by the old fashion way, old school style of painting and painting with Oils (mostly) on Linen - the classic time-tested medium of the Masters!! My paintings are simple and the titles are kept as simple as possible... using the the KISS theory: Keep-It-Simple-Stupid!! I know I could have sold more if my paintings were titled say 'Metamorphosis'¹ and not 'Yellow Rose in Blue Vase'!!

I don't go into the territory of 'Fantasia Art' or 'Naive Art' (or is it 'Child Art'?)²

I don't try to take on the Folk or Tribal³ art and reinvent them!!

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Art institutions & Art Scholarshipsº

I went to art college, just after my school years.. I was young and naive then... but realised the first day in there, that I haven't got anything much to learn here... so once I complete my 4 years I ran as fast as I could!! To start my real learning of art!!

Am of course referring here to the tribe of artists; who after they have finished their basic Bachelor degrees in Art went on do their Masters etc and later latched on to any "foreign Study Aid/Scholarships/Freebies"!! Last I heard, some of them are still at it!! It's been more than 20 long years that we graduated from our art college (1990).

I had no idea one has to study (?) so much for so long to become an artist!! The fact of the matter is that these institutions/scholarships are of financial benefits and these artists manage to live off them permanently!!

Metamorphosis¹

During my college days there was a junior who had put up his paintings for our yearly college art show.. and titled them as 'Metamorphosis'.

I knew him as one who didn't know a word of English and of course had never heard of 'Kafka' etc ...so when I asked him,
Why?' and 'Does he know the meaning etc?'

"No, it's to impress the art collectors!!" was his reply with a sly smile!! A fast learner... now his works sell at astronomical prices!!

This is a very old trick in an artists' repertoire.. to keep his works and titles as bombastic, ambiguous as possible.. as display of the artists' maturity and depth of emotion etc... Once I made a list of names, titles of exhibitions, paintings... and showed it to an English professor... He was of course dumbfounded and it made extremely funny reading!! Meaningless, mindless, gibberish rubbish!!! Like most of their work!! But to art loving Indian collectors it must have made some sense.. for they do all rushed in to buy them!!

Child Art²

Example of Child or Naive Art

I don't go into the territory of 'Fantasia Art' or 'Naive Art' (or is it 'Child Art'?)²

For us adults 'Child Art' is no child's play!!
Have you seen a child's painting? They are so beautiful and I don't see any reason for us adults to steal their ideas and paint 'like them' and then sell them to art connoisseur at exuberant prices!!
Its simply not fair to the child!!...

³Folk, Tribal Art and It's Reinvention by the 'Con' temporary artists!!!



Thangka, Tanjore, Kalamkari & Madhubani Paintings (l to r)



In the same way why take the forms from 'Thangka' art or 'Kalamkari'? Let them be... they anyway do a much better job of painting a Buddha or a Krishna!! And they are much more reasonably priced than the ones copied by so called 'contempory artist'!!



These trends can only be explained with a bit of our (Indian) art history.. dating back when Nationalism was in rise during the fag end of nineteenth century 1890s) and beginning of twentieth century (1900-47). Many artist consciously-subconsciously wanted to reject anything which was coming from the West.. Western art etc and so they looked inward, in their backyard.. and to the Oriental art. Artists of that era took folk/traditional art forms and transformed them.. In Bengal this was very prevalent... artists looking for inspiration in Ajanta & Elora, taking forms from Chinese and Japanese art etc. I  don't need to cite examples here... It was a process of evolution and a kind of protest against the imperialism etc.. but that's almost a hundred years ago.. today taking the style, motifs from the traditional art form makes no sense... also if one is so inspired by Thankha, Kalmakari, Worli, Madhubani, ..why not do it the right way: go to the real source, learn the techniques and grammar from a let say, a Thangka guru and follow it like all folk/traditional artists/craftsmen do? And create genuine folk forms? No, the contemporary artist after attending 4-5 years of art college training (learning mostly Western art, style, techniques etc) would go out and make atrocious copy of folk style and sell it off as 'contemporary art'!! It is cheating. Its so unfair as the folk, tribal artists don't command astronomical prices or respect like the 'Con' temporary artists do!!!