Spoilt for choice on art street

The canvas couldn't have got any bigger. KumaraKrupa Road, a 1 km-long thoroughfare in the heart of the city, helped artists and art lovers find the right connect on Sunday as it hosted the 12th edition of ChitraSanthe. Thousands of Bengalureans trooped in to pick and buy works by 1,200 artists monopolizing every inch of space on the pavements -right from the CM's official residence, Krishna, to Shivananda Circle.
The regulars at art exhibitions were the first to turn up at the santhe, organized by the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath (CKP).Most visitors, however, struggled with the problem of plenty . There were so many paintings -on landscapes, nature, religious leaders, temples, the Chamundi Hills and its imposing statue of Nandi, and the forgotten nooks and crannies of Bengaluru -that many were seen wondering which ones to take home.
Rashmi from Jayanagar dubs the dilemma the buyer's regret. “I have gone around once. But, I am not able to select a painting on nature as there are so many art works. It is like selecting a sari for a wedding,“ she chuckles.
Artist Ashritha Hebbar, alumna of CKP , had brought 40 paintings with her. “This is a chance for people to see our work and interact with us. Of course, there will be bargaining, but at the end of the day, both the artists and the buyers go home happy .“
The santhe not only made art accessible, but affordable too. Sridevi Deshpande from Kasturinagar, bought a painting on life in a village by artist Shital Hogade for just Rs 5,000. Kirti of Devanahalli managed to buy three. “One has to pay the artist what the work costs because it is the love of hisher labour.“
Post-10.30am, the crowds began to swell.People struggled to enter the road, even as those carrying art works tried to elbow their way out. Babu Sadalige, an artist from Belagavi, says he sold eight of his 25 paintings. “I focus on temples like those in Hampi and Varanasi. The price of my paintings ranges from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000.“
Mohith Verma, a physically challenged artist from Jhansi, had sold two paintings by the afternoon. “I had brought 20 paintings.The prices of my paintings vary from Rs 7,000 to Rs 2 lakh. The santhe is the best place for an honest and direct interaction between a buyer and a seller.“ His Amrapali paintings are worth Rs 2 lakh apiece.
DK Chowta, general secretary of CKP , says the santhe saw a footfall of nearly 5 lakh and raked in a business of around Rs 3 crore.
BARTERING HER WAY THROUGH
mita Kaushik, a student of CKP, stood S out in the sea of humanity. Her whitened face and paper cap on which a number of pens were stuck ensured that. She went around with friends and collected pens in return for her art work, pen sketches. “I don't want to sell my art work.I will use the pens for my paintings and drawings, and for an installation that I am planning. I am happy that I have got different coloured pens,“ she beamed.
SACHIN IN ALL HUES
Sanjay Mehta, a digital artist from Delhi, had brought 30 digital portraits of Sachin Tendulkar he had worked on since 2009. “One of my paintings has been displayed at the cricket museum in Mumbai,“ he said
VISITORS' DELIGHT
It is a fantastic place to buy art works as they are from different regions of the country. I am very happy that we can also interact with artists. I bought a painting of a house in a village. I may buy some more Bob Jones | SCIENTIST AT UNILEVER FROM UK