Art as a career choice?

Do parents in India allow their children to choose Art as a full time career? Well, mine didn't. I was told that artists don't make that much money, as though making money is the only life goal we have. The correct choice for all intelligent and hard-working students is Science and for those not so endowed have to settle for humanities or worse fine arts. This mindset has killed many a potential artists who otherwise would have shone in their chosen field.

People seemed to have forgotten our ancient texts which are found as icons and symbols in many of our temples like the Virupaksha temple of Hampi. There the ancient sculptures have shown the working of a pin hole camera by allowing a tiny beam of sunlight to fall on the walls of the temple showing the inverted image of the trishul atop the gate of the temple. In Hindu text the origin and preservation of life is explained by the concept of Mrityunjaya and they devised the Mrityunjaya yantra. This denotes the five elements or the Pancha Bhoota, namely, Earth, water, fire and space and you can see this yantra in many ancient temples of India. This yantra is considered to be at least 5,000 years old because it's part of the Rigveda, which is the oldest text known. The musical pillars at Hampi are a marvel of ancient Indian art, architecture and science. So, can we really segregate knowledge into water tight compartments?

The Finonacci numbers- 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13......, is a number series which is replicated by all living organisms in their DNA. The ratio that is created by the relationship between adjacent numbers in the Fibonacci sequence gets closer and closer to the golden ratio- the ratio obtained when as the whole line is to the greater segment, so is greater to the lesser. As an example, the length of the bones in your hands relate to the ratios in the first four numbers of the Fibonacci series. These series was discovered by Pingala, the greatest Indian mathematician, in 200 BC, much before Fibonacci. The Vitruvian Man by Leonardo Vinci drawn in 1492 is based on this relationship between ideal human proportions and geometry. This image demonstrates the blend of mathematics and art during the Renaissance and his deep understanding of proportions. The human body is so designed by nature that the face from the chin to the top of the forehead and the lowest root of the hair is a tenth part of the whole height. If a man is placed flat on his back with his hands and feet extended and a pair of compasses centered on his navel, the fingers and toes of his two hands and feet will touch the circumference of a circle which is formed by the whole human body. All this knowledge of science, anatomy, geometry and mathematics is closely related to art and architecture and no art will be perfect otherwise.

The ancient Indians did not segregate knowledge into science, arts or humanities as we know today. The students studied in Gurukuls and studied all about astronomy, archery, arts, military strategies, mathematics, fine arts, riding, and other knowledge and skills as was needed by them as next generation rulers. Of course such Gurukuls were only for the children of Brahmins and Kshtriyas as other people learned their trade and livelihood from their own families. I am not advocating we all go back to our traditional Gurukuls but we can have a beautiful blend of knowledge and we must appreciate the value of art in our lives. Art is visually appealing, a soul food and this will remain as a footprint of human history in future just like we know so much about the Indus Valley civilization from their art and artifacts.

People have forgotten eras, such as the Renaissance, when the differentiation between these fields were minimal. Leonardo da Vinci was a scientist, artist and his work ranged from anatomy to engineering inventions. The art and science fueled each other by imagination and observation. Einstein, the German born theoretical physicist who is known widely for developing the Theory of Relativity was a good violin player too. He learnt to play violin from the age of six and he maintained this interest and skill throughout his life.

To me the synergy of my passion for numbers, as I am trained in Finance and Accountancy, and visual art has led to the explanation of the Mandalas and Sacred Geometry through my art work. The brush and the pen strokes made by me helps me to create mandalas, which uses Geometry and patterns to examine the ways in which the mandala is manifested in our world. Geometry is the study of shapes and patterns describes the predictable way in which things and events relate to each other. Together, geometry and pattern help to tell the story of how the mandala is expressed in the cosmos and in relationships. I strongly believe that the study of anatomy helps one to sketch human beings and animals in the most proportionate manner possible to create a beautiful drawing.

If you allow your child to do art and crafts, learn music, play musical instruments from younger age you allow their right side of brains to develop. The right hemisphere of the brain controls creativity, imagination and intuition, giving you the ability to visualize and interpret reality. It helps people to look at the big picture so that they can better assess problems and come up with innovative strategies to solve them. Moreover, the right side of the brain contributes to emotional intelligence - the ability to understand ourselves and be emphatic towards others. Those who develop emotional intelligence are able to master interpersonal relationships, a vital skill for mangers. A 2017 study showed that looking at art and visual images stimulate brain activity in the right hemisphere. So, go ahead and encourage your child to draw, paint, sing, dance, play an instrument and watch them bloom into beautiful human beings. Let them also do simple mental exercises like connecting dots and crossword puzzles.