Fine Art Critique [Arts Explorer Numéro 3!]

          As I walked through each of the galleries around the AGO, I found myself drawn to many pieces of artwork that was displayed. It was difficult to choose one piece of fine art to critique. However, as I ventured through the Maharaj Exhibition one particular piece of painting caught my attention. At first glance this painting elicited feelings of peace, ease, comfort and relaxation. I was captivated by this painting simply because when I look at it, I see concentration, patience, determination, friendship, and support. It is the emotions that this picture delivers and its fine details that make it so appealing.



Three Nayar Girls of Travancore
By: Ramaswami Naidu

       This piece of oil canvas painted by Ramaswami Naidu in 1872 is entitled "Three Nayar Girls of Travancore". It is a medium sized square painting that is measured 82.55 cm by 96.52 cm.The painting was hand painted in Kerala during the time when Indian rulers began to follow and adopt the Western traditions. Naidu was a court artist of Travancore, specifically trained in Indian painting styles and popular techniques of Western realism. The woman sitting in the middle is showing much concentration as she carefully writes on a dried palm leaf. This reminded me of a personal experience when I was younger where I had to practice writing chinese symbols in squares - one symbol per square. As I got older, the boxes got smaller, forcing us to write complicated strokes in a square that was no bigger than a centimetre.

        The element of colour drew my attention. As you can see for yourself, the dominant color in this painting is mostly of a pale olive green, and very dark, dull colours. However, at the same time, there's a pop of bold, vivid and rich colours (of gold, yellow, red & orange) depicted through the jewellery worn by the people in the painting. This contrast really accentuates the accessories in the canvas. Colour can really elicit and transfer many emotions from the painter to the audience. In addition, the big, round gold earrings really caught my eye - they were definitely one of the first things that I zoomed in on when I first saw the picture.

         This brings me to believe that the artist was trying to place emphasis on all  the jewellery in the painting. Afterall, this work of art was painted while India was starting to imitate Western customs. Thus, it is of no surprise if the artist wanted to bring out that one particular aspect of change. As I stood before the painting, I could hear silence - the sense of peace and tranquility surfaced. It created a very serene feeling.

         What I found most interesting about this painting and the other works situated near by was that they were all painted in the late 1800s when Indian rulers began to follow Western custom (as I had previously mentioned). The European lifestyle as symbols of luxury and status was manifested in many aspects of their life, such as dress (clothing), dining habits, to social life and recreation. It was a time when influence of the west was evident in India.

ART WORD OF THE WEEK:

Col·our [kuhl-er]:

• based othe passage of light. 
• comes from the sun. We see colors because of the way certain objects reflect color rays to our eyes.
• makes each of us respond with feeling.

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J. E. (2009). Art & creative development for young children (6th ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Thomson/Delmar Learning.