To understand why a contemporary artist becomes worth investing in, the retrospective exhibition of the works of Satish Gujral at the NGMA, New Delhi, is worth visiting. While canvases still command the largest market, to achieve the status of an artist of Rs 5 lakh to above 50 lakh requires inputs of many kinds. And this exhibition gives us a good idea of how many different elements go into the making of such an artist.
The first thing that strikes one is the importance of the artist being an above average practitioner of his art. The quality of Gujral?s drawings is proof enough of this. His flowing lines leave one in no doubt that his works are those of a trained hand. In fact, most of our artists of the top bracket in the market share this quality with him.
His sense of colour and composition that he evolved a global vision with as a result of his interaction with some of the best muralists of Mexico where he studied gives confidence. His later works show him as an equally adept artist of textures. This is evident from his collages and canvases of the ?80s and ?90s. These he translates into three dimensionality with his metal murals of the ?70s, burnt wood sculptures of the ’80s and afterwards. This foray into sculpture and relief is translated into environmental art in the Belgian embassy building in Delhi (1984) the CMC building in Hyderabad (1992) and the Al Mougtara farm, Riyadh (1996).
This aspect of his art shows one that an artist worth investing in does not become worth it by concentrating on the market. His experiments in other fields make the marketable works more worthwhile. In fact, collectors of Gujral are advised to concentrate on his drawings and canvases of up to the mid-80s, which are likely to appreciate the most. His drawings of any period are the best to invest in, while his canvases of up to the late ?80s may emerge as his most sought after works in contemporary art market.
The quality of innovation and experimentation is the most striking thing in his work, even if canvases command the best prices. His versatility makes his marketable works worthwhile. Moreover, he sends another message that is relevant to younger artists in the field: One has the right to experiment, to be original, to break out of the limitations of two-dimensional art.
To be original, an artist must experiment with different media. The inputs from those should be allowed to intervene in the two dimensional canvas that is the barometer of the art market. Artists who fail to appreciate and use this bridge to the collector in a market-oriented society make it tough for themselves to be understood. Gujral?s path not only encourages experiments but also their use in marketable objects that will encourage people to move towards the former and appreciate them as well.