Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Is there a slant about the strokes?

Do men and women approach art differently? Geeta Padmanabhan finds out

MEN, WOMEN AND ART Paintings of Premlatha Seshadri, Achuthan Kudaloor and Adimoolam.

Cave dwellers of Indonesia had an unusual ritual. They stencilled their handprints on the walls. Recently, a new computer model used by France's National Centre for Scientific Research has separated them into male and female imprints. While the Gua Masri art proves that cave women enjoyed a social (and artistic) position on par with that of men, the discovery begs a question. Is it possible to make out whether a piece of art is made by female hands?

Dr. Razia Tony, balances the yes with no. In colour, form, shape and treatment, she says, artists move period-wise (from the period when paintings resemble something you've seen to the period when canvases are splattered with colour?). "A special sensitivity and an innate sense of emotions come through in paintings and sculptures by women," she feels. Her "Frozen Tears" may have a clue. "Women's conditioned way of seeing things, their struggle to break free of control are all integral parts of their art." Aparna Kaur's paintings reflect the strife and trauma in her life. Nilema Sheik dabbles in social themes. Women are more deeply affected by what happens to other women.

Echoes senior artist A.V. Ilango, "Generally women artists paint women's problems. The emotional content may not be so pronounced in male art. Men paint women symbolically, check out Raza and Tyeb Mehta. There's simplicity in their works. Women tend to embellish their canvas. Even in colours... " he says. "I use colours too but men do it differently. Strokes, mmm ... men notch rugged lines may be, but the very fact that they create beautiful art makes them feminine."

"You can't draw clear lines like that," says Shalini Biswajit. "If you are looking at an abstract with no prior knowledge of the artist, haven't read up anything, you won't get the artist's gender. However, once you know it is Rekha Rao's work, it's clear her thematic representation is done through a woman's eyes." Oh, right, what about woman as a subject? "Yes, for women artists "woman" is a major theme. I do women because it's an inner expression of myself. All my figurative abstracts are women."

"The attitudes of men and women towards art are identical," she holds on. "We have the same considerations of investment, cost, value and of course, pleasure. The difference is the promotional platform. You know, for a long while, public art was totally male dominated. Now we have full-time women contemporary artists."

Well-known artist Adimoolam is in awe of them. There are German frau who sculpt huge, Henry Moore-like figures, he says. But formless paintings? Look at his "Untitled" art, they are gender neutral. The feeling that women opted for manageable sizes in art is no longer true. Design expert KS Rao paints a lot of identifiable women but if you saw any of it the first time when Rao isn't around, can you identify the creator as male? Hard to say.

"No work declares itself as male or female," dismisses artist Premalatha Seshadri. "Maybe the conception of a visual or the artist's vision is dictated by gender. But not the draftsmanship or the finished work of art." She warns, "The overall worth of a painting cannot be determined as a male or female work. Look at the gentle subjects handled by Chola artists. Craftsmanship overrules gender strains."

But art has remained patriarchal for long. If you were an art Moghul, whose names would you drop? Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Picasso, Rembrandt, Monet and for Indian ones, M.F.Hussain, Tyeb Mehta — a woman-free list. How many women names would you hear at an art auction? Should the work by male artists continue to eclipse theirs? May be there's need to flip stereotypical thinking — that women try only a few mediums; lack diversity in content. Or, let's admit, there are clear differences in women's handling of themes and forms. Women artists have demanded a gender-free interpretation of art, allowing women equal opportunity for success. Ideally (and practically) there should be no "male" and "female" art. Curators and collectors should stop looking at the signature.

Men experiment more? Draw bolder lines? Have an active idiom while women tend to project the passive? Men prefer open spaces while feminine art is more decorative? There are ways to find out.

Do a round of the art exhibitions in the city, there is good stuff if you know where to look.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail