Art Smart

Picasso and the cube sounded as related as Sarah Palin and aloo posto to software engineer Sudeshna Mitra before her online tryst with the Saffron Art Gallery.

Written by Premankurbiswas

October 17, 2008 12:00 AM IST

3 min read

Online art galleries are breaking the ice between the masters and the masses

Picasso and the cube sounded as related as Sarah Palin and aloo posto to software engineer Sudeshna Mitra before her online tryst with the Saffron Art Gallery. 8220;I used to be a pretty decent painter in school but never took it seriously. But then I bumped in the Saffron site while random surfing and was immediately hooked to the visuals,8221; laughs Mitra. Since then, Mitra has found an engaging pastime8212;looking up art portals, reading up on artists, forms and developments and catching on with a passion she thought was long-lost. Cynics can look away, because online art galleries have done what they have for long considered impossible and sacrilegious 1they have taken art to just about everybody. And owners and artists are not complaining at the apparent loss of 8216;exclusivity8217; it seems. Salil Desai of Master8217;s Collection masterscollection.com says that online art galleries prove to be more than just an option for prospective buyers to check out works. 8220;It makes art more accessible. Say, there is an art lover in Kerala who wants to check out works of the latest works of Bengal painter Suvaprasanna. The most convenient way for him or her to access the painter8217;s work would be through such portals,8221; he says. The online art gallery of Master8217;s collection gets as many as a million hits every month. 8220;And many visit our site simply out of their love for art and everything that visually challenging,8221; he adds.nbsp;

Ankur Sharma, of the Culturazzi club which digs on the arts says, 8220;Prior to this, art was meant for a select few who were presumed to 8216;understand8217; its nuances. But galleries like these come as an answer to such prejudices,8221; says Sharma, whose site profiles promising artists alongside writers, photographers, musicians, dancers etc and is frequented by anybody interested in creativity. Saffron Art Gallery, one of the most popular art websites of the country, takes pride in its online art gallery. 8220;It is one of the most potent way to reach out to art lovers. It gives art students the opportunity to keep abreast with latest trends, and also helps them study the changing styles of masters. Though a lot of business is conducted through these websites, it cannot be denied that they are also used to create awareness about art,8221; says Dinesh Vazerani of Saffron Art Gallery saffronart. com. Business is a great leveler. 8220;An online exhibition or an online gallery is the most cost effective way to showcase one8217;s works,8221; adds Sharma. Understandably while newbies find it easy to break even in the esoteric world, the galleries create prospective customers by initiating people to the paintbrush magic.

Kolkata-based art galleries like Galerie Karma galeriekarma.com organise virtual exhibitions in tandem with the real ones. 8220;We keep the online galleries updated so that visitors get to know what is happening in the real gallery,8221; Niladri Gangyopadhyay of Galerie Karma. So, if you have to look up Impressionism and suchlike on Wikipedia, squirm no more, because online galleries have arrived!

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