The mother earth, a dynamic planet possessing great marvels with ever-surprising and immense metabolic activities within herself for millions and millions of years, having given birth to minerals, ores, metals, gems, elements and compounds; stones, rocks, waters, rivers, oceans, mountains and soils, innumerable plants, creepers, trees, plains and forests; right from the smallest ant to a great elephant on lands; from the tiniest honey bee to a huge eagle on air, and an amoeba to a massive whale in waters; and also gave birth to mankind.

Such a great earth is a baby of yet another great mother Universe, contains in herself innumerable galaxies, billions and billions of stars, planets and comets, spectacular wonders, unimaginable and inexplicable entities, systems, synchronisms functioning in their own un-presumable style for over a great period of billions and billions of years, together with her enormity we call as nature and in her most energetic state, we call as creation.

Like any other living form, when man is also a part of that gigantic process of creation, unlike any other living form that either gets adapted well with the synchronism or succumb to the deep and crippling environmental anxieties, man alone makes curious and proactive efforts to know, understand, intervene, utilize, exploit and influence the process.

Such efforts, conscious or unconscious, organized or unorganized, systematized or un-systematized, in the course of the development, are termed as knowledge and in a deeper sense is nothing but the interaction with the enormity.           

The activity of constant and continuous interaction with the surrounding enormity with the occurrence of multifarious transmissions, and when that is expressed through a work of art, it inexorably has to be bounded within limitations. This is because any subjectivity when converted into an objectivity then that has to go through the path of intellect, intelligence, thought, deduction, analysis, creations coupled with inventions, perceptions, sensitivity and so on which play a predominant role in fixing the boundaries that is recognized as the philosophic out look of the art work. The above factor though contains multidimensional analysis could be better understood with certain simple observable facts as follows.

The great activities of the ever-mysterious Universe that are reflected in our lives are being accumulated as experiences only through our intellect. Such a process is a continuum and the activity of expression in any form is nothing but a speck of that enormous continuity, which has its own limitations in expressing the original source of it and hence the totality could never be comprehended exhaustively.

For example, the true dimensions of Carnatic music, a traditional gamut of systematized music from south India, or any other such classical music could never be comprehended from a single song, however rich it may be and even if it has been organized with several ‘ragas. The ocean like Carnatic music has innumerable compositions, combinations, emotions, sensations, vibrations and very importantly a lot of events in a great span of time.

But at the same time, it could also be sensed that with a properly organized song, the depth and the infinite nature of Carnatic music could well be realized and this also depends upon the observer. Though any particular appearance of music contains in it and at the same time expressing a single plane, but to comprehend the same being an extraordinary task for an observer.

If it is put in a simpler sense, we can never comprehend the multifarious dimensions of a computer by viewing a single frame of certain program or an image. A computer obviously has multifarious components, functions, registries, programs, dots and pathways that could not been seen with naked eyes and so on and invariably a great evolution that could never be grasped at once, unless sufficient interaction takes place with it. A stranger to computers can never grasp that; infinite number of such images could be brought out even with simple software.

If such a factor is applied on any one of the innumerable natural existences, we would at once be confronted with the fact that any such smallest and simplest existence would lead us to infinity when pondered over towards a deep penetration.

Such an infinite state of existence is casually expressed in any organic substance in nature, just in the superficial form of it.

For example, a leaf, a stem of a plant or the bark of a tree with their numerous structural diversities could well lead us towards substantiation of such an understanding.

On getting closer to a leaf, thousands and thousands of nervous structures could be observed along with thousands of shapes such as squares, triangles, hexagons smaller and bigger, compressed and elongated, and so on in the midrib; at the same time expressing an altogether different dynamic geometry, unlike the static geometry handled by human perceptions, with its vibrational line structures.

On the other hand, repetitiveness of the geometric shapes could never be found while displaying uniqueness in each and every single pattern of formations expressing yet another form of dynamism in the most non mechanical way. (This could be compared with the activity of a person producing numerous similar objects, without any instrumental aid, by making the objects one at a time; and no two objects would be exactly alike).

Such dynamic geometrical shapes would exhibit certain unique similarities while progressing to apex of a leaf with reducing proportionality and towards a vanishing point. The lateral veins, which appear to be engraved on the topside of a leaf, appear to be embossed on the bottom side. Again, like a positive and negative aspect, the top appears to be lustrous with deeper green when the bottom is mat with dull green. (Any dedicated artist could understand the difficulty of expressing the contrasts in the color formations without irritating the viewer. But such a formation is casually displayed in a tree that would give pleasure to the viewer). 

The stem that holds and takes everything from the leaf with its innumerable cellular structures, again the vagaries of constituents of cells when each and every cell is unique in itself, multiple layers of porous and spongy tissues, walls, with countless branches up to the blade, the order of their organization to enable constant breathing and the great continuous activity.

The organic material structures as a whole containing a great impenetrable density with its multifarious forms of alignment to co exist.

All these together keeping the central vein as the axis from the leaf base, may express a symmetry on a superficial glance but at the same time a perfect non symmetry in a deep mathematical sense. Again no two leaves in the nature would be exactly alike. That is the expression of ‘symmetry in the non-symmetry’. The non-symmetrical aspects expressing the great dynamism while the symmetrical aspects expressing a tender ‘rhythm’ and inherent ‘harmony’ in it.

When the visible aspects of the material structure display such a complexity and density, we could never discern the qualitative formation of that very natural organism that could never be accommodated by simple biological terms. In other words, any organic substance is a compact unity of diversified material structures and also diversified qualitative structures inherent in that material structure, getting expressed in the density of formation. 

A very common organic substance in nature, on simple observable terms contains such a vast and amazing feature getting perfectly accommodated into a single plane with all its distinguishable eminences exhibiting a great marvel for any true and conscious visualization.

A minimal or simple form of expression always accommodates something immense and vast in a single plane and that plane is always a perceivable one.

From this it could be understood that the true simplicity can never exhibit itself by erasing all these qualitative aspects of affluent density, but would exhibit itself only along with all its compact complexities.

On stage-by-stage penetration, any organic formation in nature would constantly express astounding complexities in it on a direct proportionality with the depth of penetration.

On such a realization we can derive as follows:

‘THE MAXIMUM MOST SIMPLICITY CONTAINS IN IT, THE MAXIMUM MOST COMPLEXITY’.

On the other hand, in the fundamental sense, the most amazing formation of any organic substance in its own course of dynamic state, expresses its very purpose of existence and that existence is its very natural state.  

Now to comprehend; the material formation of any organic substance towards innumerable structural diversities, is a by-product of the qualitative density that is expressed in its compact and massive state.

Such a density of an organism is the by-product of the dynamism in it, that is expressed in the non-symmetry.

The non-symmetry is the by-product of the inherent symmetry that is expressed as a rhythm and harmony that displays the greatest of all the great aesthetic senses.

Such a harmony and the aesthetic sense that is getting displayed is the by-product of the very purpose of existence.

The existence becomes the cause of all the above said multiplicity of expressions while all the immensity getting accommodated in the simplicity.

The true and ultimate purpose of any form of knowledge is the development of life forms and only the direction towards harmonious living of all the living forms in nature, would indicate the true developmental aspects of living forms.

When human form is a part of nature and also a product of nature, any knowledge or the objective expression of any knowledge must inevitably accommodate the process of promoting mankind towards a harmonious living within itself and at the same time living in harmony with nature. This general fact could be applied in all the practices of mankind guided by different forms of knowledge.

If we apply this fact into science, a great system of knowledge that is guiding the majority of all the practices of mankind, which is quite successful in pondering and penetrating into the minutest details of various natural phenomena, with greatly recognized and generalized notions on motion, relativity, atomicity, electromagnetism, gravitation and such other universalities and also towards specifics such as elements, metals, minerals and such other non-living things and also living things while classifying them into innumerable species towards a systematized understanding and also rapidly converting such understandings into rigorous practice in almost all the walks of lives of people.

The knowledge of science that is motivated towards understanding nature in a systematized way, has not only influenced the advancement on the technological aspects, but also made nature accessible to man with an abundant degree of freedom.

In such a scenario of diversified proliferation of science, while losing its core character of understanding nature, the knowledge of science totally got deviated from its very purpose, because of the continued hasty attempts to understand nature by making it into bits, parts and fragments, at the same time starting with a hurried usage of nature towards rapid exploitation, eventually assumed a character of contradiction with nature by not only pursuing destruction of nature but also leading the mankind towards self destruction.

It is an obvious fact that science that has grown towards multifarious autonomous fragments of disciplines, laws, theories and postulates is not only unsuccessful in unifying them but also failed to identify the harmony in them. In other words, all the practices of science sharpen the question as to, “whether nature belongs to man, or man belongs to nature?”

On closer observation it could be perceived that when nature exists along with all its diversities only with an inherent and natural synchronism and any attempt to know the nature by intervening in that synchronism would greatly disturb it.

Any expression as a result of such an intervention would inevitably conceal the qualitative diversities and display only the material aspects of it in the most mechanical way that would simply be without life.

This is what is the exact and obvious expression and limitations of science, which could contain only the mechanical and material aspects of nature in its perception and it is struggling to cross over the barrier towards understanding the qualitative aspects of nature but at the same time the rapid expansion of science into innumerable specifics eventually characterizing it as the root cause of multifarious disorders, chaos and anarchies prevailing in the present world.

This is because science failed to perceive a single plane that would accommodate all the material and qualitative diversities, which would express the fundamental harmony and could not cross the barrier posed by the present methodology, towards reaching its ultimate target of the ‘utmost simplicity’ getting expressed in the form of ‘existence’.

Nature keeps itself along with its density. Even though science has penetrated towards the minutest details of all the natural phenomena, and the motivation for the search has been undoubtedly the quest for the truth, as the search has not been in synchronism with that of the natural purpose of existence, the purpose of the entire high detailed knowledge of science becomes debatable.  

On the other hand, setting the direction for establishment of harmony is understood to be the fundamental purpose of spirituality; a harmony not only in the mankind but also in nature that includes also mankind.

In these lines the multifarious forms of propagation of spirituality, in essence made a great attempt to bring in all the diversified specifics into a single generality by propagating the equality in human beings, equality in all the living beings and also the non-living things by advocating animism.

But in the process of converting such a great generality into objectivities, by formulating methodical application of practices for the emancipation of individual human beings, and in the process of simplification, the same attitude of exclusion of the density in objective realities entered into the practices, when the concepts of ‘maya’ and ‘karma’ happen to play the predominant role in isolating the human being from all the natural and great enormity when the fundamental reality of the most organic and material relationship of man with nature being defused and thus leading him towards an unknown, imaginary, cosmic world.

Eventually, when the present knowledge of science guides man to contradict nature and complicate all the understandings by getting far deviated from true simplicity; spirituality that is supposed to accommodate anything and everything, in its present form getting deviated with an upside down understanding on simplicity, in other words an isolated objectivity, in essence isolates man by excluding the nature and on certain other practices leading him towards an unconscious interaction with nature.

At the same time any work of art while attempting to convert intuitions and abstract concepts into objectivities to express generality into specificity and specificity into generality while stressing towards simplicity had taken a path of minimal expressions as a recognized form of demonstration of simplicity.

When nature contains a dazzling array of such organic formations getting profoundly revealed even in the most material and superficial structures, forgetting about the qualitative diversities and their ever dynamic features, it would be an absurdity and in a way infringing and ridiculing the nature’s beauty, considering the prevailing axiom of minimal expressions, to express the ‘minimal’ by expunging the enormity of nature and such an attitude can never be recognized as simplicity.

Any organic existence in nature could never be expressed in its true form by a flash of brush or by sketching the most superficial layer of it with an attempt of simplifying and recognizing it as ‘minimal’.

The true minimal in nature has its own un-cognizable enormity getting accommodated into the most minimum possible plane.

In the same way, in the process of abstraction of natural phenomena on logical and mathematical grounds, towards bringing into pictorial and simplified representations, geometry plays the central role in guiding the present science and also art.

But various conventional axioms of geometry in science were broken with the proposition of general theory of relativity, which proposed a fundamental space-time curvature as a material property of the universe in the entire general expressions and also broke the concept of straight lines. With this, in spite of pondering over other geometrical properties of nature, present science as on today could not succeed in that attempt and with vague understanding on general theory of relativity, thereby could not bring that into practice.

It is obvious that nature does not contain itself within the limited geometrical notions, natural constants, theorems and varieties of shapes evidently the perception of nature in a static way, and could never perceive the nature with its enormous qualitative diversities. This fact would be as obvious as an elementary substance on a closer observation of all the material expressions of nature in its dynamic state.

The present geometry has its own limitations and could be considered, as the most probable human perception of nature and the access through it would only vanish the true perception of nature.

Any geometrical notion to get established into reality needs to be applied practically on motions, and any geometrical motion involves an axis and only in the state of motion geometry could ascertain its validity. But nature has its own geometry and an altogether different motion of existence. As an artist has a freedom and is not accountable for conversion of the imaginative and figurative applications of geometry into practicalities and hence vagaries of vague and purposeless geometrical applications are handled in the present art just to be recognized as simplicity. 

The figurative expression of simplicity in simple and static geometrical shapes and to recognize that as minimal expressions, would be equally ridiculous when the vastness of nature is considered and such an attitude would lead to an altogether misconception of nature thereby crudely contradicting it and would expose the ego and ignorance of man in all his approaches towards nature.   

By the same time when any particular subjectivity is converted into objectivity, by means of an artwork it can never be in any other way but a form of material expression. Simply because of the very material nature, it must contain its own limitations, in other words the expression of ‘finite’. On the other hand the simplest material expression in nature in its energetic state of creation is always directed towards and an expression of ‘infinity’.

In this sense the very term ‘creation’ can be applied to the enormity and only that enormity as a whole.

On the other hand the term creativity in its context and practice and in its most generalized and fundamental form, would express a change and only a change when the quantitative and the qualitative nature of which depends upon the cause of the creativity and the effects of the same.

Even the illusory, imaginative outbursts of expressions from distorted, muddled, elongated, bizarre and fluffed up forms of realities that induces horrible impacts on the objectivities, originating from psychopathic and unorganized minds could be called as creativity, but never as creation; since there can never be an imagination without any single component or element of reality.

Even a highly creative artwork can only reflect the reality that would be in varied proportion according to the perception, comprehension, cognition and realization of the realities.     

Any creativity that expresses, induces or makes a change, can be only a part of the creation, and a work of art or any other product of man can never be called as creation, simply because a change can never happen out of nowhere, at any point of time and it is yet another absurdity to recognize an artwork as creation.   

With the above analysis of relationship with nature on three great gamut of knowledge playing very important roles in the progress of civilization, the following facts may be realized:

The knowledge and the present axioms of science brings down generalities into specificities without awareness about the most general plane of harmony, and in the process of converting generalities into objectivities towards practice, resulting in the opposition of harmony.

The knowledge and present axioms of spirituality with perfect awareness of the most general plane of harmony makes an unconscious and an unorganized attempt to elevate specificity towards generality with a shallow and formless awareness in the objectivities.

The expressions of art by oscillating between generalities and specificities make an unconscious and unorganized attempt to bridge between them with a distorted and superficial clarity in the awareness of the fundamental unified plane of harmony.

In the objective practices of all the above gamut of knowledge, a hasty and blunt form of interaction with nature with an obstinate attitude in the assimilation of realities is getting reflected in mankind in relationship with nature.  

The most objective reality that is displayed in all the above practices, in spite of all the counter posing endeavors, is the fast destruction of nature, eventually a state of chaos, endangering the lives of all forms of living, in our mother ‘Earth’, indicating a sheer necessity for a conscious interaction with nature.

In the process of conversion of such subjectivity into an objective artwork, it could be understood that the present boundaries have to be crossed unconditionally, and the limitations have to be stretched beyond cognizable precincts.

Only at this juncture, the roles and individuality of an artist, the skills, the modes of expression, the ways of presentation, the imaginary components of expression, the material formations, the material quality and all such other things would vanish to get submerged into the conceptual orientation of the artwork, when the artwork stands as a witness of the objective reality and the artist becomes a simple tool to convey the reality.

With the above brief, a general idea of the expression of simplicity in nature along with its intense density in an ever-dynamic state of interaction could be grasped and that is the fundamental guideline for the ‘Physical Aspect’ of the artworks that is to achieve simplicity through density.

While conceiving the ‘Physical Form’ of the artwork, from the desired concept that has a strong theoretical basis, a succinct notion is extracted and related with an observable physical phenomenon, and the constituents of such a phenomenon are put into performance as the passive components of the formations.

According to the expression of the concept, the formation acquires its specific ‘Dimensions’, also in depths and projections displaying a modified state of three dimension, that is without giving an illusion of three dimension on a two dimensional surface, but with real three dimensional projections from the two dimensional plane with its own limitations, and the ‘Structure’ is formulated. It could be understood that when the expression of plane of interaction of nature with that of the natural substances are considered, the expression through a three-dimensional approach becomes inevitable.

The structural density of any material form of natural existence would always get soaked in the fundamental qualitative aspects and the diversities of radical distinctions and towards a physical compactness, it becomes essential for a scrupulous outlook in Selection and Handling of Material formations that contain the structure of the artwork.

On Material Implementation, the selection of materials and objects are so made that they are in perfect accordance with the core of the concept. Again, a selected material is implemented in the artwork only if it serves its purpose to its optimum and fullest extent.

Prior to the physical application, any artwork is perfectly decided and designed to attain its fullest conceptual expression; on the structural design, dimensional aspects, application of shapes, textures, projections, depths, details and application of colors. At the same time an abundant degree of freedom is also reserved for any modifications in all the above-mentioned factors, with a dialectical approach, in the course of the development of artwork so that it organically expresses the obliged requirements for its own growth directed towards infinity.   

The qualitative aspects of the materials are in a way dipped and submerged in the skillful applications and at certain instances, the quality of the material loses its identity and gets decomposed. On the texture, the distinctions of material are handled in such a way that the inevitability of that material is not depreciated but at the same time the material is handled for a controlled self-expression.

On certain instances the prominent reflective properties of certain materials are consciously diffused to depreciate the glamorous excellence but to appreciate the gravitating qualities to bring in the observer towards the inner core of the subjectivity with an alerted sensitivity.

While detailing the form with the texture, the elements that involve the texture are so organized that they reflect absorb, disperse and deflect the Light in a preconceived manner along with a predetermined directional pattern and so as to increase and decrease the intensity of light.

When the texture adopts light, Colors espouse the form. The texture is scrupulously colored in such a way that it absorbs the colors according to the intensity of the light. In the texture, the usage of various metals, metallic colors and reflective objects are extensively implemented since metals do possess the property of conduction and transmission of vibration and thereby the transfer of energy.

The adoption of various strata of colors on the texture as a totality would exhibit a specific orientation of colors, based on the concept. But the selection and application of pigments would enclose the physical form of the artwork.

It could be understood that a fundamental property of nature is to contain the colors in the light, in other words light interacts through colors and it is universality that colors compose the outermost layer of any universal form and the regions beyond the layer are the expressions of depth. In this sense certain   elements in the texture that are in the outer layer when acquire darker tones would get immersed deep inside and the inner elements that acquire brighter colors would get projected towards outer surface.

If the light in a highly illuminated mode and the colors arranged at random would normally give an impact on the observer providing an illusion. But on contrary if the light having a natural application on the texture, with colors being in synchronism with the form, then that would attain an altogether different orientation providing a fusion.   

The density of texture along with the intensity of colors would coordinate mutually to express the qualitative aspects of the conveyed concept. When the light functions in the texture independently, the colors would express a controlled function in the form.

Only in such a state, a fusion happens and the artwork would start radiating. The light would be continuously received in its free state and radiated in a controlled and preconceived mode. In such a perpetual state of dynamism an altogether extraordinary motion would get set; a motion that could never be compared with a mechanical motion. As there is no mechanical motion involved, there would be no loss of energy, but at the same time abundant energy in a specific material form being transmitted through another material structure without loss; when the material structure, in other words the artwork will function like a ‘lens’ to receive the light in the free state and transmit it in a controlled manner.

In the texture, concentrated attention is imparted to the edges of the elements when the edges of the innumerable elements are orderly arranged with an abundant density, that is more prominence would have been given for the edges than the surfaces.  

When an observer views the art work, he would receive an organized   vibration in the form of radiation and at the same time when an observer tends to observe the material details along with its density, the process of penetration would set in with an orientation towards the origin of the vibration.

In the course of penetration, the edges in the multifarious elements in the texture of the artwork would play a predominant role in absorption and radiation of the vibration.

It could be observed that in any organic material the edges have the utmost importance in containing the density of the form. For example if an artist who is unknown to a leaf, is asked to sketch a leaf by showing the surface of the leaf he would immediately sketch it with maximum possible details with more accuracy. But if the same artist is asked to sketch a leaf that is sandwiched between two papers so that only the edges are visible, and then he would ponder silently over the edges for quite a long duration to capture the whole form of the leaf; that is he would make all concentrated efforts to penetrate through the edges.

Any material would have penetrating and radiating accessibility more through the edges. To understand this with clarity we can see another example.

Eagles are notable for their sharp vision. That is an eagle can pinpoint its prey right from a distance of several hundred meters above the land surface. Normally it would be assumed as the sharpness of the vision of the eagle. But if we observe it closely, we could make out that eagles would be able to distinguish between its prey, may be a rat, and at the same time other objects near to the rat with great precision. That is the eagle would be able to visualize its prey with clarity and at that same instant other objects also with the same clarity. That is, there would not be out focus in the vision of the eagle. A wide spectrum of vision with an unbelievable clarity would be the natural property of the eagle, and that is possible only because of the edges of the objects, which radiate and also allow the eagle to penetrate at the same instant to capture its prey.

Unlike eagle, human vision if focused on a particular object, then the surrounding objects would go out of focus. If an observer viewing the artwork, would focus his attention on the totality of the artwork in its form then the art work would radiate through the edges, at the same time if he would start viewing the details through the texture and the elements, then he would involuntarily penetrate through the edges, when the edges would absorb him towards inner core of the subjectivity. In this way a sort of absorption, radiation and penetration would take place in its own sequence.     

Thus, a motion, similar to that of an organic material in its dynamic state, along with the artwork amalgamated with an orientation of an inherent concept, would impart with a perfect physical and material interaction in the most non-mechanical way with the observer. The significance of such an interaction is that, it would be an organic interaction and a permanent one.

This particular technique of transmission of energy through controlled behavior of colors, embedded with a conceptual orientation would be a break through in the contemporary art field and would definitely be developed further to ever greater dimensions in the times to come by great many dedicated creative people in various fields, who could accommodate anything and everything in their perception in the most non emotional, and selfless way and also with a great social responsibility. This would also function as a key to explore yet another dimension of art and the interaction with nature and in a    way set a positive direction to understand the true purpose of art in the world and the mankind

During the course of the development of the art work, when the appropriated subject breeds itself towards a maturity, like any other natural organic substance, the role of the artist would become more mechanical, with a serene emotional state, but at the same time consciously nurturing it towards maturity. In such a natural path, the time span taken for an artwork to its completed form could never be predicted with an exactitude, and each and every such artwork takes quite a longer duration for completion and at the same time would also indicate that a work has not been fully completed, even if it is fully completed.

The non emotional application of high skill, creativity, dedication and perseverance of the artist with a pious orientation with the concept, along with the development of the artwork thus making the artwork to guide the artist, when the role of the artist becomes like a subordinate to the artwork. With the guidance of the most fundamental eternity getting expressed in the conceptual orientations, it would be realized that, the artwork is not meant for demonstrating the underlying concept but for an organic interaction of the concept of objective reality with the observer.

When such an artwork is consciously developed, it could be understood that the appreciation of skill and enjoyable features would have a less and temporary impact on the viewer so that one would instantaneously be inclined towards the subjectivity and that would be the activation of the artwork to become dynamic and to impart with an organic interaction with the observer.

The dynamism, vibration and the intensity of interaction of the artwork would increase in a direct proportionality not only with the ‘loss of self’ of the artist, but also with that of the observer.

In spite of great advancement in scientific knowledge, the technological applications, advancements in communication, great philosophical and psychological reorganizations, the awareness and progresses in the overall civilization of mankind and great scientific and philosophical notions on the generalities of the universal phenomena, it could be well discerned that mankind is only in its primitive stages as far as conscious interaction with nature is concerned.

But on the other hand, the multifarious techniques in the utilization of nature and the natural resources along with great political and economic dramas have been expressing a rapacious aggression in the exploitation of nature and towards the sheer destruction of nature.

At this juncture the responsibility of a creative stream comprising of artists scientists and spiritual people would be to assimilate the realities to pose a check to the misconceptions and to set a direction for progress towards harmony with nature and any optimistic step in such a direction would yield great results beyond imaginations.   

This reality could be well realized since nature does not deny the right of living for any of her own children including mankind, as the great mother with all her enormity, beauties, riches and concerned heart, all along caring and caressing the mankind with her tender limbs, would never see her own child perish, as nature, along with mankind, is eternal.

The artworks are an optimistic step in this direction to make conscious attempts to break all the pessimistic and ignorant notions, in science, arts and spirituality, towards a real attempt of the same that would be in synchronism with nature.

THE PREMISE

In the great course of progress of civilization of mankind, in the great diversities of expressions, development of understanding of various phenomena, the innumerable means of interaction with nature and the resources, in the development of communication, the orientations of great philosophies and ideologies, the amazing phases of restructure of psychological attitudes of individuals and in all such other inherent organizations, it is an evident fact that the ‘field of art’ plays a predominant and key role towards realization of harmony in the human society.

While art is a powerful means of communication and essentially the communication of ‘truth from an ultimate plane’, and has a great potentiality to sustain itself, it is an obvious fact that there were always the efforts of individuals to establish the truthfulness of art and who could succeed in bringing out their great intuitive sensitivity without succumbing to the compulsions of the social objectivities. It would not be an exaggeration if we say that the field of art has its own sacred significance only because of the selfless efforts of those great personalities. 

In the above said direction, these works of art is a conscious attempt where the self of the artist becomes ignorable in comparison with the objective reality of the core concept. It is also a humble initiative and sensitive contribution towards the ever-great field of art with all its truthfulness.

THE OUTSET

Out of all other artistic expressions such as music, poetry, play, dance and such other means, visual art and especially an intuitive contemporary art functions in the most subtle way towards an objective interaction between the minds of the creator and the viewer of any artwork.

From a generalized stand point, though a thing called intuition is the basic property of any human being; only few could sense and handle it consciously towards a materialized form, effectively through emotions.

The property of emotions could be understood as the primary motivating factor behind any form of interaction towards the enormity and in humans explicitly conveyed in numerous forms of expressions, one among which is art.

In such artistic expressions yet another property bestowed by nature in humans, that is ‘mind body synchronization’, in other words known as ‘talent’ becomes the functional instrument, when that instrument is perfected to greater and greater extents by constant and conscious endeavors, then acquires a property known as ‘skill’.     

Talent-harmony in nature- identification of talent- the identification part belongs to human that leads towards self realization- thumb impression natural.

Even though the thing called skill or talent paves way greatly for the effectiveness of the expressions, the ‘mind-body synchronization’ becomes the property of an individual that has its true origin right from his birth. Hence it could not be recognized as the actual acquired property of an individual but the property of nature to express itself in innumerable unique ways and also through certain humans. On a true sense any individuality could never be recognized through talent efforts of expressions since it is the property of nature that gets expressed in humans. At the same time the actual acquired property of ‘skill’ by rigorous practice with a realization of ‘talent’ becomes the very basic and primary requirement of artistic expressions.

At the same time the process of sensitivity of intuitions and capturing them in the most conscious way and implementation of the same without deviation from the objective realities, which only could express the true qualitative aspects of the artworks. Such an expression demands the conscious interaction of an artist with the enormity of nature and the existence when the self or individuality of an artist diminishes far beyond significance.

With this it could be comprehended that the true qualitative aspect of any artwork would get expressed in its truthful way only when the individuality of the artist gets submerged not only in the truthfulness of the materialization but also in the process of an artwork.

On the other hand, in the great history of evolution of art in multifarious forms in different parts of the world at different times, it could be easily discerned that when all the former initiatives and the expressions displayed the generalities of the human interaction with nature, in the very recent times it continues to develop in a diagonally opposite way; that is more individual stipulations and the widely recognized notion as the ‘self-expression’, which predominantly self-experience oriented instead of self-centered. The former prime-attitude is whatever may in existing not as count-much everything based on according to me or him … the later accommodate everything in it and produce one by one according to the needs of society in conscious way. It’s a transformation of self-conciseness attaining through collective-conciseness.

It could be understood that on any intuitive artwork, the intuitions are sensed as vibrations which takes a material form in due course when the perceptivity and the sensitivity of the artist plays important roles when it gets realized as a concept and the material form of the art work could be understood as the one that bridges them both. In essence the material form of the artwork can attain its true value only based on the conceptual orientation of the objective reality or the truthfulness with which the art work obtains its true quality; but it could never be valued based on the material value of the material form. On a true sense a qualitative artwork would display an attitude of narrowing down the gap between the art and the artist and also the viewer.

Such a qualitative process, which would give the true value for any art work, could be achieved only when the notion of ‘self expression’ and the ‘individuality’ of the artist are reorganized.

THE PRESENT

On a closer observation on the field of art as a whole and in the practicalities of its multifarious expressions as on today, it is evident that all the practices contradict the expression of a true artwork not only preventing a true expression to get elicited but also the truthful means of taking them to the society.

The art as on today is more oriented towards self-expression and a means of promoting an individual to the top of the society by providing him a pseudo status in his intellectuality but essentially based on the monetary stipulations.

There is a great conjecture as to the true value of the art work when an artwork is valued only in terms of money. When the exact definition of ‘value’ or for any value including human values could never be provided truthfully in the present economically driven world and any true value would be naturally diminished.

On the other side the promoters could well create a so-called demand for an artwork only based on certain sign values, without an opportunity for a true thought process on the qualitative aspects of the art. It could be well compared with the attitude of the real estate trade.    

Well before the selection of an art work, there is a tendency which enquires particularly the name of the artist, the signature and the size of the work. instead what exactly the subject the artist handles or what exactly he wants to convey and such other details. This particular attitude could be understood as highly disgraceful to the field of art and a sheer insult to artists and the saddest part of it is, even the renowned artists are ignorant and obstinate about this reality.     

Even on monetary stipulations an artwork is crudely valued based on the material handled and the size of the artwork in terms of square inches or square feet. If an artist makes two artworks with different orientations on different occasions with different time-consuming but in the same sizes, then the value given to both of them would be the same. Even the price of two adjacent plots having the same measurements would vary in real estate according to the ambience and quality; but it is not so in the present field of art.

An artist makes two successive works only when he feels to make some sort of improvement or progress. But the present art field contains no room for such aspects at all. Even most of the artists are not conscious about such degradations and most of them recognize themselves as making experimentations but making innumerable and diversified material handling without considering any true sort of thought wise stimulations.

The trend only shows that even the artists are not dared to express the value of their artwork according to the quality but on the sizes and other market aspects, which shows a sort of petrified mental state of artists, becoming highly materialistic, losing all their sensitivity that could never elicit qualitative artwork from their inner self.

As an example of the above factor there is a widely recognized value for an artwork known as ‘equity’ value for which most of the true artists (if un-branded) are being victimized when a lot of fakes are elevated to abnormal zeniths thereby victimizing the field of art as whole. When an art becomes a means of investment then the truth vanishes; corruption gets initiated; and the people who play with money become the potential buyers of art; the true art lovers have no place in the arena and naturally any true art work would be discouraged.

On the other hand, if an artist becomes a bit popular by whatsoever the means, an altogether different kind of demand is created to multiply the monetary value of the works, and in most of the cases an artist is even pressurized for certain unjustifiable conditions. For example, one among the purpose of the media of printmaking in the ‘contemporary art’ is to enable the artist to reach more-number of people with his concept through his artwork. But if an artist creates a particular work through printmaking, then in view of propagating his intuitive thoughts, he could always make any number of prints till the quality is not reduced in the source. In a true sense it is also the freedom of an artist to handle his artwork. But in the course of selling his works he is supposed to limit the editions to enable the promoters and the buyers speculate the demand of the work, which would contradict not only the purpose of the printmaking but also the very purpose of contemporary art.

Can a qualitative artwork be distinguished in terms of its demand or a pseudo demand?

Can the freedom of an artist be ridiculed in the name of art promotion?

Is such a tendency to facilitate the promotion of the art or to limit and fasten the true art?

If the limited number of availabilities is supposed to raise the value of an art exponentially, then is it not evident that the art is handled in the most quantitative manner without the slightest significance for the quality? Will it not transform the art into a pure mechanical product, sucking the very life in it?       

When there is a tendency that people are not able to distinguish or even identify the qualitative nature of artworks, there is a tendency in the artists who take a lot of efforts to create a network only which would enable them to popularize them and their works. It is obvious that the works of an artist who has such an effective network could yield the attention and thereby an artificial demand. In such a scenario an artist who rambles behind the network has no other option but to assume a mental state of a marketing executive, which would consume a great deal of his time and energy and very importantly his self respect when he would have no other option but to produce arts for the sake of the so called market, when such artworks would become mere commodities in the most mechanical means. Such an attitude would never favor an artist to create any sort of qualitative work.

It should be clearly understood that the act of selling of artworks would not condition the quality of artworks in terms of any aspect, when the criterion of creating an artwork contains in it the qualitative consciousness and this is the only means when an artist would be able to sustain him in the economically governed world; and at the same time the quality of art should be the primary concern and it should not be dependant on any other factor such as money, regeneration and so on.     

Therefore, it becomes obvious that the intuition, sensitivity, emotion, talent, skill, perception and such other factors that get reflected in any of the art works could never be considered as the individuality of an artist, but the property of nature that gets expressed through the humans for an interaction towards achieving harmony within itself.

All the above said factors get themselves expressed through any physical form known as human, which possesses a great generality in the existence for a quantitative interaction and also specific properties known as the uniqueness in any human for a qualitative interaction. Such a uniqueness gets displayed in the most material way in the physical form of humans in many ways and one among them is the well acquainted ‘thumb impression’.    

It could be discerned that an artist stands as a witness of such an interaction through his artwork, and to express such an understanding, the thumb impression of the artist is used instead of signature that becomes an endorsement of witnessing through the uniqueness of individual human, but not the ‘establishment of self’ in such expressions. Also, it appears in relative-nature “known to unknown.

Any expression of art could be understood as the internal interaction in the mankind towards harmony and visual art especially needs conscious cognition of the objective realities. When the most objective reality is that any individual is only a part of the enormity, dwelling on individual stipulations in any field and especially art would indicate nothing but the ‘ego’ of humans and only the approaches to win over such egoistic expressions would pave way the great field of art to sustain its purity and truthfulness towards establishment of harmony in the human society and the existence.    

Conceptualized by organic intelligence…      

Written by artificial intelligence 2006…

In the great course of progress of civilization of mankind, in the great diversities of expressions, development of understanding of various phenomena, the innumerable means of interaction with nature and the resources, in the development of communication, the orientations of great philosophies and ideologies, the amazing phases of restructure of psychological attitudes of individuals and in all such other inherent oppositions, diversities and organizations, it is an evident fact that the ‘field of art’ plays a predominant and key role towards realization of harmony in the human society.

The field of architecture, which has a close association with art, assuming a direction of approach towards enhancement of living conditions and the expressions of contemporary stages in the growth of civilizations, while also accommodating and expressing the sensitivity of the society.

At the same time, it would not be an exaggeration if we say that man constantly endeavors to define living through the mediums of art and architecture.

When art primarily focuses on subjective aspects of human mind, thought, sensitivity, mental comforts, discomforts and other such psychological parameters, exploring through various mediums of expressions towards an interaction with the society, architecture greatly converts such aspects into physical characterizations based on individual stipulations in the most material means.

It could be understood from various means of artistic expressions such as music, dance, play, cinema, poetry, visual art and also contemporary art that, any such means of communication primarily dwells on aesthetic sensitivity and the interaction of the same between the expresser and the audience towards an interface in the subjectivities of the people.

During the great course of development of the field of art in the human history, the stages of transitions, reforms, and revolutions, the significance of art could be sensed as the reflection of such general tendency of the society and also as a motivating factor in inducement of direction towards such changes.

In this sense, ‘art’ plays a significant role in the thought process of any individual and at the same time also for the orientation of like schools of thought, in other words organization of mind towards refinements and redefinitions of standards and values of living. Time and again the role of art could be sensed in the formulation of ‘mind set’ in the people and also stimulating and altering such ‘mind set’ during the course of development.

On a sharp perusal on the overall psychological development of the human race and also the various psychological structures of individuals, the power of art as one of the most powerful means of communication could be easily grasped in the inevitable role in the guidance of individuals as well as different organizational behaviors of the society.

The role of an individual’s mind and the role of the substances and the modes of communication towards a mutual interaction with the minds of individuals have their own implications in the organized behavioral aspects of people.

Any man with a strongly built physique would become weak in an agonizing situation; that is any man could never feel strong with the death news of his beloved one; however strong his physique may be.

At the same time, we can recall any number of instances when somebody with weak physique rising up to the situational compulsions for reassertion of his strength purely with the confidence felt by the mind.

It is an indisputable fact that the mind power arranges and rearranges the human strength and the physical capabilities of people and there is always a strong role in the modes of communication and the means of interaction with the minds and emotions of people.

Any small spark of creativity towards advancement of understanding of any natural phenomenon or environmental features in the form of abstraction of certain general or fundamental concept and the attempts to communicate the same by choosing any medium of communication in a wide spectrum scale, right from a common cinema, a piece of art, an artistic structure, a musical presentation, the organization of a play or even a scientific theory or a mathematical model has its own role to act in the subjective frame work of individuals or even with the view of maneuvering the social conditions towards changes over a certain period of time.   

    

We can see several examples for such a stance from the human history.

The role of cinema as a branch of art, yet again a powerful means of communication that plays a significant role in the psychological arrangement of individuals to set role models, in creation of social waves and trends, to cater the development and emergence of mass leaders also to set the minds of great many number of followers with a synchronism with the mind of the leader.

We can also observe the changes imparted by some cinemas in the minds of individuals; we can say several examples like the role of several martial art films and the cinemas that project positive and negative heroes. At first sight it may appear hilarious but on a certain deeper penetration the gravity of the issue and the sensitivity it appeals on the social objectivities could be well synthesized. 

We can also site several instances of the significant roles of cinema, poetry, play, music and art during the transition periods of various social orders and revolutions such as movements against absolute monarchies and national liberation movements towards great and multidimensional objective changes in the civilization.

We can also witness examples from an altogether different aspect of the capabilities of human mind that is to ponder over the fundamental realities of nature and existence and in the means that was adopted in the form of several scientific postulates.

James Clark Maxwell could sense the fundamental symmetry in asymmetry that paved him way to distinguish the harmony that nature retains in the most fundamental level, when he expressed the same in the most abstract form that is in the form of a set of mathematical equations towards unification of electricity and magnetism to propose the electro magnetic phenomenon. This during a great course of time had been greatly adopted by the society towards huge developments in the usage of energy.

Getting inspired by the proposal of a ‘constant velocity’ in the propagation of electromagnetism, Alfred Einstein could sense the relativistic nature of time when he could profoundly understand the mass equivalence of energy that got expressed in the form of an equation while relating fundamental physical quantities, also accommodating the constant velocity of electromagnetic propagation, thereby to propose a new entity named as ‘photon’, which got adopted by the society towards an amazing electronics and communication revolution.

Both of them used nothing but paper and pencil to communicate their understanding purely without any physical experimental evidence, which were proved experimentally by certain eminent personalities at a very later time that paved way for the society towards adaptation.

Here the important essence to be pondered is that the abstraction and the communication made by those personalities were recognized consciously by certain other people and the same when converted into practicalities almost the whole of the society is interacting with them in the most objective manner but in an unconscious way.

It is evident that most of us whoever manufactures or uses electricity or any other latest electrical or electronic gadget never even think of Maxwell or Einstein or about understanding of their theories, but we all interact with their theories by the usage of them in almost all our lives and styles.

In the same way any artistic presentation also has a great potentiality to interact with the minds of the people in guidance of their philosophical orientations and psychological arrangements; to put it in simpler sense, any art has a powerful role to play in the ‘heads’ as well as in the ‘hearts’ of the people.

Any form of art, an artwork or an artistic presentation attains its sustainability with a sense of appeal and thereby being acknowledged with the level of aesthetic sensitivity that the artwork or presentation expresses while being received by the people.

Architecture, an altogether different mode of expression and communication of sensitivity of various kinds according to the great diversities of people has always got a greater sustainability with its powerful material and structural mode and thereby a greater potentiality of constant interaction with people.

When any true art could be recognized in terms of qualitative aspects based on the core concept behind any specific artwork, its generality and the objective importance of the same towards a change, the artistic talents, skills and essentially the artistic sensitivity being the subject of architecture, an importance as to how far it accomplishes the subject towards the structural objectivity, alone becomes the parameter for the true richness of an architectural presentation.

The richness in selection of material, the skillful applications and the mode of presentation and such other factors could play a vital role in enhancement of the description of the concept that would be the core of any presentation.

Several great architectural edifices could be cited as examples for such a conception and in the great course of changes in the human development it could also be witnessed that such an idea had been greatly undermined when architecture had been considered merely as a physical and structural marvel only with the assumed purpose of inducing amazement in the minds of the viewers.

This could be construed as the result of the widely accepted assumption that an art work or any artistic presentation essentially being the expression of ‘self’ or ‘individuality’ of an artist that varies greatly according to the perception of individuals; thus inducing a drift that is also resulting in the dilution of values of true art also resulting in a state of conjecture on the great field of art as whole. This particular state of affairs could be well understood as the crisis of philosophical attitude in the field of art that gets reflected in almost all the artistic expressions that also includes architecture.

When the human race is the product of nature, it is an unobjectionable truth that nature keeps every individual ‘unique’ with the virtues of great unique characteristic features. But such uniqueness is the property of nature that gets expressed in an individual human being that would get far deviated from the context of ‘individuality’, when individuality may well be defined with the synonym of a sort of isolation resulting in a state of aggression on a competitive environment to establish the ‘self’.*  

It could be sensed that aesthetic sensitivity and the expression of it, is the important factor framing the fundamental quality parameters not only for an artwork but also for an architectural presentation.

On the other hand, it could be understood that even though the primary motivating factor behind any profound architectural appearance being the aesthetic sensitivity, but at the same time it could also be observed that the said aesthetic sense is greatly diminished while converting it into a material form as an architectural presentation.

When we can give several definitions and explanations for aesthetic sensitivity, in the fundamental sense it could be discerned as the insistence, lenience and the inherent property in the human beings towards harmony and only harmony is a naturally acceptable property of not only humans but also all the living things.

On a sharp perusal of the term harmony in various levels of human existence, as an overall generalization, the harmony of mankind with nature alone could be the fundamental and the most inevitable factor for human existence.

When we can find such an expression of unified plane in several traditional structures and monuments throughout the world, at the same time that could be profoundly sensed in the Indian and especially South Indian temples.

On the other hand, the Indian Arts in multifarious forms in general, display an altogether different pattern of evolution. The periods of origin of Indian Arts could be considered as the periods of the greatest artist and architect ‘Mayan’ and the Indian Temples symbolize the contemporaries of ‘Mayan’ creations. The nucleus of the temples in essential served as the great catalyst for internal growth while also functioning as social centers thereby leading towards noteworthy but fundamentally different scientific by-products.

An unexplored but profound and great practice known as ‘Vasthu’ incorporating an altogether diverse subjective aspect of topology and geo-magnetic perception can be cited as an example of this; The branches of Vedhas that reveal the knowledge of ancient medicines, astronomy and different kinds of artistic comprehensions those have a recorded age of more than 3000 years can be well found to serve with their intense utilities even today.

The South Indian temples while emphasizing the great importance of the most fundamental universal harmony, that is inherent in each and every means of expression. The said core concept that is signified in the Sacred Sanctum, at the same time the architecture of various reverence along with greatly submerged richness with a purpose to enhance the concept, while the sculptural, visual and other such artistic expressions signifying the purpose of enhancing the relevance of the architecture.

By just a visit to any temple one could experience a sort of vibration as an effect of an organic and most objective interaction with the enormity of existence which would make one realize a greater dynamism of nature functioning in its own style accommodating all the objective realities in which the human beings function as tools and as a part of the great dynamism. A very important fact to be pondered is that in the olden days, the temples functioned as great social centers for great gatherings, ceremonial expressions, presentations, publishing, and such other activities for pious orientations and also trade, commerce, expos for social objective orientations. This factor could be observed in most of the very old temples even today. At the same time temples functioned also as a means of self realization of any individual at the same time diminishing of ‘self’ far beyond significance.

In any temple one can observe the perfect inherent synchronization in the multifarious forms of artistic expressions essentially the outcome of great orientation of creativity when the entire individual artists could display the property of uniqueness with abundant degree of freedom of expression but at the same time with the loss of individuality.

All these together as a great architectural structure imparting with a strong and powerful interaction towards the most fundamental harmony in the minds of even common people could be well sensed even in the simplest temple and this could be recognized as one of the greatest triumph of mankind in the expression of conceptual artwork through the medium of architecture.                 

Such an achievement could have become feasible only when certain individuals, being recognized as ‘saint(rishis)’ who would have perfectly realized the qualitative aspects of ‘living’ from a generalized plane and also quite successful in making all the artists and also the workforce to work in synchronism with that plane, which only could have made the diminishing of individuality and at the same time the enhancement of uniqueness of individuals while making the whole scenario full of life towards an interaction with the evolved living forms.

In such a generalization only the qualitative aspects of any phenomenon would have been the energetic driving factor where the individuality or self would become insignificant but at the same time greatly emphasizing the equality in human beings and the immense process of eliciting the enormous human capabilities from great depths. That is the entire team of people committed towards the task would function like an organism of natural existence in the most natural way, in other words they would have become a part of nature only which would be the correct parameter for the qualitative work of art that is being profoundly expressed not only in temples but also in some of the other great edifices in different parts of the world.

But at the same time we can hardly find an architectural presentation except the temples, that perfectly accommodates simplicity and also richness, subjectivity and also objectivity and at the same time also accommodating all the social objectivities beyond the limitations of time factors at the same time with a synchronism with changing of objective conditions, with an ever functioning dynamism while amazingly interacting with the society in multifarious modes towards the core purpose of harmony and nothing but harmony. 

We can present one such profound example of a great architectural effort, though not very much emphasizing the core concept but an amazing attempt in the form of visual appeal to distinguish between artificiality and naturality, crossing almost all the static geometrical boundaries, also displaying a symmetry in asymmetry, the way in which nature expresses itself.

The architectural marvel in the form of a church, ‘The Sagrada Familia’, the construction of which had been begun before nearly 120 years at Barcelona, Spain, by a single creative mind known as Antony Gaudi, still being continued with the constructions even after his demise, but not yet finished and it is expected to be finished in a span of another 240 years.

In Gaudi’s work we can never find any of the static geometrical approach; no importance to static straight lines; no two symmetrical units would be exactly alike; the profundity of sculptures; the design aspects almost resembling raw nature in the most wild and natural way even at some places resembling the flush and bones and so on; one could easily understand the great penance, the great orientation of several minds and the freedom of expression in each and every square inch of the great and gigantic structure that stands live before us.

As a whole in all the structural diversities and the formations, it could be sensed that the overall presentation indicating a state of ‘infinity’ right from the minutest detail to the whole structure; this is the way in which Gaudi’s work greatly synchronizes with Indian Temples where the infinite nature of existence is predominantly expressed in each and every bit of them in the most natural way.   

Such an infinite state of existence is casually expressed in any organic substance in nature, just in the superficial form of it.

It is obvious that nature does not contain itself within the limited geometrical notions, natural constants, theorems and varieties of shapes evidently the perception of nature in a static way, and could never perceive the nature with its enormous qualitative diversities. This fact would be as obvious as an elementary substance on a closer observation of all the material expressions of nature in its dynamic state.

For example, a leaf, a stem of a plant or the bark of a tree with their numerous structural diversities could well lead us towards substantiation of such an understanding.

On getting closer to a leaf, thousands and thousands of nervous structures could be observed along with thousands of shapes such as squares, triangles, hexagons smaller and bigger, compressed and elongated, and so on in the midrib; at the same time expressing an altogether different dynamic geometry, unlike the static geometry handled by human perceptions, with its vibrational line structures.

On the other hand, repetitiveness of the geometric shapes could never be found while displaying uniqueness in each and every single pattern of formations expressing yet another form of dynamism in the most non mechanical way. (This could be compared with the activity of a person producing numerous similar objects, without any instrumental aid, by making the objects one at a time; and no two objects would be exactly alike).

Such dynamic geometrical shapes would exhibit certain unique similarities while progressing to apex of a leaf with reducing proportionality and towards a vanishing point. The lateral veins, which appear to be engraved on the topside of a leaf, appear to be embossed on the bottom side. Again, like a positive and negative aspect, the top appears to be lustrous with deeper green when the bottom is mat with dull green. (Any dedicated artist could understand the difficulty of expressing the contrasts in the color formations without irritating the viewer. But such a formation is casually displayed in a tree forming the ultimate harmony that would give pleasure to the viewer). 

The stem that holds and takes everything from the leaf with its innumerable cellular structures, again the vagaries of constituents of cells when each and every cell is unique in itself, multiple layers of porous and spongy tissues, walls, with countless branches up to the blade, the order of their organization to enable constant breathing and the great continuous activity.

The organic material structures as a whole containing a great impenetrable density with its multifarious forms of alignment to co exist.

All these together keeping the central vein as the axis from the leaf base, may express symmetry on a superficial glance but at the same time a perfect non symmetry in a deep mathematical sense. Again, no two leaves in the nature would be exactly alike. That is the expression of ‘symmetry in the non-symmetry’. The non-symmetrical aspects expressing the great dynamism while the symmetrical aspects expressing a tender ‘rhythm’ and inherent ‘harmony’ in it.

When the visible aspects of the material structure display such a complexity and density, we could never discern the qualitative formation of that very natural organism that could never be accommodated by simple biological terms. In other words, any organic substance is a compact unity of diversified material structures and also diversified qualitative structures inherent in that material structure, getting expressed in the density of formation. 

A very common organic substance in nature, on simple observable terms contains such a vast and amazing feature getting perfectly accommodated into a single plane with all its distinguishable eminences exhibiting a great marvel for any true and conscious visualization.

On the other hand, in the fundamental sense, the most amazing formation of any organic substance in its own course of dynamic state, expresses its very purpose of existence and that existence is its very natural state.  

Now to comprehend; the material formation of any organic substance towards innumerable structural diversities, is a by-product of the qualitative density that is expressed in its compact and massive state.

Such a density of an organism is the by-product of the dynamism in it, which is expressed in the non-symmetry.

The non-symmetry is the by-product of the inherent symmetry that is expressed as a rhythm and harmony that displays the greatest of all the great aesthetic senses.

Such a harmony and the aesthetic sense that is getting displayed is the by-product of the very purpose of existence.

The existence becomes the cause of all the above said multiplicity of expressions while all the immensity gets accommodated in the simplicity.

It is evident that in such a general scenario there is an inevitability to accommodate the practice of harmony in all the walks of life when all the creative people who set the direction of social progress must be more conscious of the happenings and to display their responsibilities to set the progressive direction.

All the happenings in this world directed towards progress, could well be considered to be bringing in changes for the betterment of the creation of living. The three distinct manifestations of human knowledge, fundamentally known as ‘Science’, ‘Arts’ and ‘Spirituality’ that have branched out towards multifarious forms, contribute in a major way not only for such changes but also inducing transformations in the course of such progress over a great period of time.

When the very basic phenomenon of living is natural and living can only be along with the nature, the fundamental character of any knowledge can only be directed towards the perfection of co existence along with the nature. In this sense it could very well be understood that the knowledge of Science, rather the present science, reflects with almost all the practices resulting in the opposition of the nature. This obvious fact could also be substantiated with a number of evidences and happenings around us. At the same time the active and rapid development of scientific knowledge that has grown essentially based on various external factors and the fruits obtained by the same ensuring a sort of ‘convenient comfort ability’ externally, could at the same time be easily sensed as an illusion coupled with ignorance. The awareness of this truth primarily induces a fear of ‘great uncertainty’ internally, when the forthcoming generations are considered, as to whichever path that is not directed towards a peaceful co existence with the nature, could only yield reactionary results in the long run thereby making irreversible damages to all the living beings on this planet called earth. Once we are vehemently pushed towards this sort of awareness, we become more lenient towards something called realization.

In the normal process of realization, ‘something’ is first known. Then the same is investigated with the intelligence to form opinions and doubts and then the intellect analyzes the new thing along with the already known things towards an understanding when adequately substantiated.

The progressive aspects that are felt deep internally as positives are consciously considered as realization and significantly remain also as experiences. When experiences are considered, there would always be elements of uncertainty and deviations from the truth thus leading towards contradictions; on contrary, in the case of realizations such contradictions and deviations could never be had in the deepest sense, as they all would represent a single plane, which forms the crux of progress. When the quest and constant search for truth is inherent in any human, any realization would always manifest as a conscious identification of the self along with the nature that would indicate the plane of truth. And such a plane would always represent a ‘Universal Whole’, in other words the ultimatum.

The knowledge based on such realizations, even though would vary according to the differences in the experience, power of thought and the differing capacities of cognition, but if experimented on the practical environments would never yield reactionary effects but would always lead towards the progress because of that particular strength of underlying truth. 

In all the present developments it could also be sensed that, with the advent of realization of the ‘whole’, the scientific knowledge stands out to be a by-product with its ever-growing character and time and again getting perfected within itself in the course of its evolution, very importantly in the process of understanding the nature in a systematized way.

On the other hand the Indian Arts in multifarious forms in general, display an altogether different pattern of evolution. The periods of origin of Indian Arts could be considered as the periods of the greatest artist and architect ‘Mayan’ and the Indian Temples symbolize the contemporaries of ‘Mayan’ creations. The nucleus of the temples in essential served as the great catalyst for internal growth while also functioning as social centers thereby leading towards noteworthy but fundamentally different scientific by-products.

An unexplored but profound and great practice known as ‘Vasthu’ incorporating an altogether diverse subjective aspect of topology and geo-magnetic perception can be cited as an example of this; Egyptian Pyramids and dowsing of underwater streams could also be recognized with such a true pattern of knowledge. The branches of Vedhas that reveal the knowledge of ancient medicines, astronomy and different kinds of artistic comprehensions those have a recorded age of more than 5000 years can be well found to serve with their intense utilities even today.

Such gamut of knowledge or the fundamental basis of such a pattern could never be understood with the existing scientific methodology of observation, isolation, experimentation and recording or even statistical approaches, simply because of the obvious fact that they somehow manifest a sort of holistic property with a direct interaction with the ‘living’.

We can understand this also with some more examples.  

In the periods of Ayurvedha, medicines have accurately been prescribed for thousands of diseases and ailments. But in those periods the atmosphere, water, soil and every other thing would have been so fresh, thereby greatly reducing the chances of even getting a disease; at the same time the population was proportionately so less thereby greatly further reducing the chance of even identifying a person with an ailment, thereby nullifying the opportunities of any random observation; there was no question of laboratories for experimentations; and there were no records in writing, when the communications were simply through words of mouth. The methodology that was involved could never be explained with any of the scientific terms prevailing today. But Ayurvedha and Sidha are practiced even today and slowly getting a global recognition. 

Similarly, in the system of Homeopathy that has been originated from the west, the medicines that are administered, when the constituents are diluted several hundred times, it could be easily understood that the chance of even a single molecule entering into the body is simply remote; but it cures.

The great and accurate predictions of astronomy in the times when there were no observatory equipments, further strengthens the possibilities of a methodology that comes out of certain deep insight associated with realizations perfectly reflecting the nature of truth.

By the same time, as per Spirituality the basic nature of realization is considered as the realization of the self and the identification of the self in the enormity as a whole along with it and therefore every outcome of that realization will somehow reflect the fundamental truth with a specific dimension.

With this it could be comprehended that the knowledge of ‘science’ with its multifarious dimensions and disciplines as a knowledge principally based on observations; ‘spirituality’ with its various branches as a knowledge principally based on realizations; and finally the knowledge of ‘arts’ functioning as a bridge between these two when all these three are complimentary to each other in the most abstract and subjective sense in the progress and perfection of life forms.

Now any realization that gets originated from the holistic perception, by nature, as it can never isolate anything, will have an enormous potentiality of accommodating everything in it in the process; will naturally reflect the reality in specific different dimensions along with their fundamentality and also generality when the fruits will be ‘unique’ in property.

The fundamental distinction may be felt with clarity in the understanding of ‘uniqueness’ and ‘individuality’. Anything in the creation is unique with its own specific properties while also having general properties, which in essence displays a perfect harmony expressing the property of accommodation because of the representation of the whole.

On the other hand, individuality is the product of comparison with an exceptional skill and at the same time would be the expression of only the differentiation and the basic essence of which is contradiction.

The practicalities of uniqueness when displaying the properties of accommodation will lead the life form in the positive direction towards progress, when the practicalities of individuality will have no other option but to play a reactionary role in the life form displaying contradictions in each and every stratum of interaction.

The property of individuality that is more lenient on the informative knowledge and intelligence, on the other side would succumb itself to inevitable contradictions thereby opposing the freedom in itself, since it evolves out of acceptance.

Thus it could be deduced that the property of uniqueness is exactly opposite to it, which will get manifested into responsibility having more lenience towards the truth and reality from the depth of the heart, far beyond any perceivable parameters of skill in all the planes of practicalities, since it evolves out of accommodation and thereby ensuring abundant freedom in every sense.

Any outcome or in other words any product out of this abundant degree of freedom will evidently play not only an active but also an exceptional progressive role for the life form simply because of its core nature of reflection and expression of the ‘whole’ and will encompass anything and everything in it. When the space, time and plane of this ‘Ultimate Whole’ are always in equivalence, which could never be compared with anything but the same thing, would display a ‘dimensionless’ state of dynamic being.

On the process of perception of this whole towards practicalities, the determinant of the qualitative character depends most importantly on how the same is perceived without multiple fragmentations towards establishing individuality.

The basic reason behind analyzing these opposing properties in different angles bears significance that somehow it would choose a plane of penetration towards the heart of the readers.

It could be understood that the perception of yet another pair of opposites known as good and evil gets applied only in the relative plane of thoughts coupled with opinions of shorter range, when on the plane of absolute reality both these opposites could very well be accommodated without differentiation. It could also be understood that when ‘becoming’ is the fundamental property of the ‘Nature’ and that indicates a dynamic state of    ‘being’, both ‘good’ and ‘evil’ would always try to exclude each other. There cannot exist something called good and evil unless there is something called mankind on this earth. Since the fundamental basis of all the above is the act of accommodation, it would always express itself as a responsibility obviously inducing progressive actions.

TOWARDS THE SURFACE

For over long years great many personalities have emerged who could grasp the needs of the society according to different historical and social atmosphere thus sharpening the questions in search of truth and thence have converted such knowledge based on realizations as the product of the society. It could also be understood that, though the ultimate truth or the fundamental reality remains absolute, the perception of the same and conversion towards practicalities differs not only according to the persons who assume responsibilities of such interaction with the society, but also very importantly indicates the social conditions that are receptive to such interactions. This could be very well observed in the very essence of art, which takes new forms time and again as a simple parameter of such an interaction between the person who gives out the art and the people who receive and recognize them.

In that same path again there is a necessity in the society to realize in the most organic way about its inseparable relationship with the nature to induce and stimulate creativity of a different form and that could be well catered from the field of art with a strong sense of responsibility.

And the field of art would naturally evolve into a qualitative form towards a true interaction with the hearts of the people and also with a purpose so as to yield objective changes.

Our lives due to certain yet to be explored reason, are somehow or other has an inseparable interaction with the field of art. All the living beings, even though have a chance of finding them in any part in any form in this world, assume specific forms in specific positions, growing to induce a positive interaction with the surrounding. Such an interaction is an act of continuity and as far as we are concerned, an act of identification and positioning of ourselves with a sense of responsibility. The expression of such an act, especially in the field of art, which has the greatest potentiality of interaction beyond space-time barriers and limitations, could be in its perfect form only when it comes out of the realization of the whole, in an environment that ensures an absolute freedom.

The preparedness would be in such a way that the mind to be in the simplest state, without any preconceived notions or opinions about anything; without showing lenience or resistance towards the happenings; without being carried away by pressures and targets; a freedom that is just beyond any such limitations and barriers, when the process of accommodation can happen only with those who do not identify them with any specific fragment or section of the society and with absolute openness. The chance of identifying such specific psychological frame up is more only in the youngsters.

All the people who come forward to work in the proposed social center would be fully exposed to an understanding of such a freedom with accommodation and also would be provided with an environment to realize the freedom within them. They would be provided with all the infrastructures and materials for making any product according to their specific means of formulations of expressing them from deep inside. They would also be assisted with any form of subjective knowledge and also the knowledge of objective realities of the world in the most unconditional way.

The nature of our responsibility would be directed towards minimizing the gap between the product that sprouts out of the realization and the knowledge on the objective realities of the world.

Such a program when grows would induce transformations in the internal structure of not only the people involved in the creation of products but would induce undoubtedly similar transformations even in the people with whom the creations interact. Again, there would always be a progress in the positive direction and can never happen in the other way, since the outcomes would be never cramped due to any sort of external or internal pressure or suppression by factors of pseudo disciplines.

When art is expressed solely from the realization with adequate freedom of expression, then that would definitely bring in positive vibrations towards the progress and eventually would become the product of the society. Only at this juncture the difference between the created and the creator would narrow down and at certain points even appear to vanish.

Humans display different patterns of practice. Each and every such practice would reflect an organized internal pattern that would normally in accordance with or contradicting with that of certain organized external pattern; that is all his practices of expressing himself would display an emotional structure of the relationship of that individual along with his internal organization to that of an external pattern as and how that has been perceived by him.

Any such emotional structure is nothing but a specific form of interaction and that is known as psychology. Therefore, any form of psychology is nothing but the expression of a specific internal pattern that is in relationship with the external pattern by either accepting it with a tolerance or contradicting it towards a change.

This particular mutually organized pattern is known as philosophy that would display a process of converting the realization of any form, through the act of analysis towards practice.  As any human being identifies himself with the surrounding, and that surrounding always differs from person to person, the self identification depends upon the fact as to how an individual human position himself and determines his own surroundings having his own limitations. Here we mean the term ‘surroundings’, as the human society with all its practices, along with all other living things and the nature.

In the objective sense, philosophy would mean positioning, to comprehend a history; somebody can position him within smaller limits and somebody can position him within larger limits. The philosophy that is expressed in psychology would differ according to the positioning either as more emotional or as less emotional. And that particular psychology would get expressed in practice.

Whatever may be the practice would be essentially but a mode of interaction with material existence. When the most objective material interaction differs from person to person, the outcome of ‘experience’ once coupled with creativity would be always limited, displaying an incidental and modified ‘material’ interaction. If the same is coupled with realization then that would display an altogether different generalized conceptual way of interaction with ‘matter’ ‘as a whole’ in a broader sense.

In the field of art an output based on experience, has its own limitations of transfer of ideas; but a generalized way of interaction with ‘matter’ if expressed, would greatly transfer the ideas that would make transformations by way of organic interactions.

Now considering the overall human way of life in relationship with the nature, there is a situation in the nature that reflects a perfect preparedness for all the above said factors to get converted into realities and naturally this will turn out to be an objective reality.

Any living thing is a ‘living thing’ only if it is active. In the fundamental sense, ‘activity’ is nothing but the process of undergoing changes within and inducing changes with the surrounding. Therefore, any living thing is influenced by the surroundings and has its own influence over the surroundings.

If a living thing undergoing changes, is able to absorb the external factors as positives for its growth and dominate the external influences that are negatives, and able to retain its changes within, then we call the process as growth and simply ‘living’; if the same is being dominated by the external influences and unable to sustain its internal growth, then we call the process as decay and simply ‘death’.

When all the living things such as plants, trees, birds, animals and so on appear to undergo and at the same time impart with, such changes unconsciously, only man does it in a conscious way as he has recognized himself as an evolved form of living things.

Like any other living thing man is also active and when the basic activity of human activity is material activity, and any such usual activity can be called as practice and any ‘active activity’ that is directed towards a change is normally known as ‘creativity’. That is, something known as creativity will always oppose the convention of any form and will be an expression of the interaction of somebody with the surrounding essentially towards a change.

Now if such a creativity of a human form of living, induces a change within him and as well as a change around him towards growth then that can be recognized as progressive creativity; if opposes the growth, then reactionary.

Once a change of whatever nature, that is progressive or reactionary, is accommodated organically, then the activities along with the change become the usual and therefore display a modified practice.

Part 1

Rajchandar Balasubramanian or Bala (signed as Baalaa R) is not currently a famous artist, for many people I have met do not yet know him. But, it is, earnestly, not his aim to become famous: he told me so, and his acts prove it so. He is well aware of the manoeuvres needed to become famous. Fame in art is as much about marketing and media management as about spending time in studio. Bala is confined only to the latter aspect.

The artist is obstinate. He is tenacious. He is confident. He is informed and well-versed with the theories and histories of art. He can give art critics a run for the bread should he start writing. He has never ventured for a job though. He is a misfit in the crowd. He is not very social. He is rather a part of a circle of some people who want to see the world differently, who believe in walking the talk, who want to remain in touch with the soil, and work for the cause of the soil. The circle consists of people from different domains. Some of them are engineers, physicians, philosophers, economists, expert of Ayurveda, Siddha and yoga, linguists, poets, and singers while others are designers, carpenters, blacksmiths, students, IT professionals, botanists, social activists, cultural thinkers, and agricultural scientists.

This is a rather hidden side of Bala. This circle is the source of his wisdom, his world of imagination and action, his source of remaining in touch with the realities of today’s world, and the source of exploring the intricacies of life, cosmos, history, humanity, and its affairs. This is the factor why Bala’s art is multi-dimensional, multi-layered, cross- and even trans-disciplinary. It is a structured group whose members are adherents of the cult of innovation and out-of-the-box thinking who believe that an idea is useless if not materialised in reality.

Actually, Bala is a print maker if seen from the viewpoint of occupation. His works, however, do not look like prints at first glance. He says that I do my own kind of printmaking; that there are no machines in the world that can help me do what I want. The technology of print making is left somewhere behind, especially the printing presses in India have a lot of scope of innovation. He travelled round the globe, seen all kinds of printing presses at some of the renowned printmaking centres, studied the history of the machine, went into finer details, and found out that the printmaker now must perform the role of a scientist, an investigator, an engineer, a designer, an alchemist, a technician—if the art of printmaking is to deliver what the twenty first century wants from it.

Consequently, there took place a research for three years during which time Bala did nothing else. He made drawings, and defined technical parameters, going into microscopic details, and manufactured a printing press of his own. This press is one of a kind, it has no counterpart. This printing press delivers the result that Bala wants. It can print on any kind of surface, not necessarily flat. Even the inks available in the market for him are no longer good enough to bring the desired result he wants. So, he invents alternatives. He even uses holograms and holographic techniques; uses unconventional surfaces (as alternative to paper) never used before. The best of the printmakers are bewildered to see the result, the perfection, the length and breadth of scope that can be generated out of Bala’s press.

But, Bala’s works cannot be categorized as “prints” alone. Each of his work has gone under the press, or is full of a variety of surfaces that has gone under the press, and all of that is assembled together within a network, or a mesh, of intricate compositions. There are layers upon layers; elements are juxtaposed, overlapped, placed one on top of the other, beside one another, and even hidden or concealed from the gaze of the viewer.

Indeed, there is a game of hide and seek that the viewer must indulge in while observing any of the works of Bala R. For there is nothing that can be ‘seen off;’ there is nothing that is ‘open’ and complete in itself; there is nothing that lends itself easily to be read, deciphered, and decoded. At once, the overall aesthetics, the appearance of things, the elements that create the general appearance seem cognizable and comprehensible. But, soon the onlooker is invited to get close, look at the details, and the details command the movement of the eye, the journey of visual perception, from one element to the other, from one corner of the work to the other, from one level of the pictorial plane to the other, and each element opens itself for greater inspection, greater involvement. It is not long when one realises that there is already established what may be called a ‘phenomenology of perception,’ i.e. the viewer’s relationship with the work. To this end, certain routes, i.e. trajectories of the eyes, are already pre-conceived by the artist; a ‘play’ already planned; and the onlooker automatically, by way of course, is made a part of the work.

If a bit of subjectivity is permissible (and later I shall try to present objective facts in support of the subjective claims), I shall say Bala is an artist par excellence. He has a unique mind. He does not belong to contemporary Indian art. That is to say that he does not adhere to any of the trends currently prevailing in Indian art. He does not even look to the West for any inspiration. He, in fact, questions the dominance of the system over the work of the artists. He rejects the conventional norms, categories, and ideas no matter how important any prevailing idea is touted as.

Bala seeks liberation. He seeks liberation from the dictates of the art market, the lobby of art collectors, and the wisdom of art critics. He rejects every aesthetic theory pronounced till date. He questions the sanctity of Modernism, and he has no preference even for the artists or the theory of postmodernism.

Bala is eloquent and articulate (in Tamil though). He is energetic. He is propelled by a powerful fountainhead of energy stored somewhere inside his body, mind, and consciousness. Bala follows no rules. He discards every norm and lesson in the book. He is maker of his own rules. He sets the agenda, and does not follow one already set.

The artist is a bohemian. He is like a monster who wants to demolish things we have cherished dear so far. He is an enemy of decadent aesthetics. He abhors the preachers. He wants to defy the time. For him, time is timeless. There is nothing linear about time. Time is abstraction, a concept, a construction, an idea, a belief, an illusion—even a reality that we cannot ultimately comprehend to the fullest satisfaction. His works, therefore, are claimed as “timeproof.” They are aimed not to belong to an age or era or place, for he wants to bring universality and factors that are not dependent on particularity of time, particularity of space and region. In this pursuit, the talks of regionalism, nationalism, internationalism hold no merit; they are inapplicable ideas. He crosses the borders of such “contemporary” debates. Hence, he does not seek to be dependent on what is invariably touted as the matrix of art, the location of art, the juncture of art, i.e. the socio-political conditions; the cultural and economic factors that are said to shape the art of every era.

All the above feelings—they are feelings per se—I got during my six-day’s non-stop conversation with Bala when I visited his studio in January 2011. I am not forcing the above belief on the readers, for the readers and the audience of Bala’s art will make their own opinions. However, there are reasons that compelled me to write the above feelings here. I shall try to explain what the reasons are.

During his college days, Bala had started experimentation, working in mixed media, exploring principles of forms, the science of optics, colour chemistry and physics, illusion of forms, and how textures and layers add to the meaning and aesthetic appeal of work of art. During the Masters, however, he became a drop out. Somehow, after few years, the degree was awarded to him thank to the initiative of one of his professors.

Within few years of graduating Bala’s works were seen in major group shows in India and abroad. His works were exhibited along with some pioneer print makers of India and abroad. The inclusion of his works in reputed print biennales (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and US) as well as in some reputed museums across the globe is testimony to the acceptance of his art and innovations. After having penetrated the elite platforms of art shows, the next course of development was leading toward the creation of his art market. But, Bala decided that it is not the path he wants to tread. The lure of market will kill his enterprise, and the process and method of working.

Indeed, Bala has set himself apart from every other printmaker in the world when it comes to the aspect of process and method. His way of working is so different and so unique that ultimately the output is not just a print, it is not at all a two-dimensional surface; it assumes a form and shape that cannot be categorized in any of the available genres of art. His works defy the framework of painting, sculpture, architecture, design, or engineering. His works seem rather like products of science, technology, craft, tradition, and mechanics. They have elements of architecture; things are planned as precisely as in the architecture of a computer software. It is like a motherboard of computers where there is nothing per chance; every entity is a component, a functional component, and has a role to play. Aesthetics is a domain that is crossed long ago. Aesthetics is the prana, that invisible entity that cannot be touched by hand, it is not tactile, it cannot be identified in a location, it permeates through the reverberation of each element, it exists between, among, and through the relationships and inter-dependence of diverse bodies, sections, and units that make a larger composition, a comprehensive, intelligible whole.

The relationship of microcosm and macrocosm is the space where the world is situated and which makes the world apparent as it is. The tiniest is as complex as the largest, and the largest consists of the dynamics seen inside the particle. The structure and nature of the atom is seen reflected in the larger bodies of the cosmos and in the cosmos itself. There is always a centre and a periphery; there is always a circle and a sphere that revolves and governs the bodies. The body, the pinda, the material, is a gross entity, and it carries a function; it always has teleology, an aim, a purpose, a raison d’etre. What the raison d’etre is, the physicians, the botanists, the zoologists, the geologists, the anthropologists, the archaeologists, and the astrophysicists have been engaged to explain in different ways. Yet there is always a remainder that is left to be explained by the philosopher, to be wondered by the artist and poets, to be experienced by the mystics of different sects and cults. It is at this juncture where Bala’s work is situated; the juncture of the episteme and ontology; where the intuition of Croce and the reason of Kant meet together, re-unite, and complement each other; where no dichotomy is seen; where the left and right sides of the brain co-exist to fulfil one central purpose, that is, to create a matrix and dynamics of the aesthetic that is at once defined personally as determined historically and even genetically. This is what the fifty-six saints of the siddha, called the Siddahars, had achieved and demonstrated. Bala is awestruck by the heights of experience and enlightenment they had reached in devising cures for physical or mental illnesses. Patanjali and Osho show a way in this direction.

The artist, for instance, exhorts the viewer to observe the petals of a flower, to see just one leaf from a tree, and to see its apparent simplicity as also to observe the inherent complexity. The apparent symmetry in fact is a deception, he argues, for no two sides of a leaf are ever the same. The lines may only appear to be arranged in a symmetric fashion, but actually they are not so. The leaf is made of millions of cells, each one having own character; each of the apparent lines flow in own direction without replicating the direction of other lines or fibres. Nature therefore has an organic system of architecture, design, and geometry. It is artificial intelligence where the rules, pattern, and norms are different. The relationship of nature versus culture, therefore, becomes ever more interesting and fascinating.

Similar principles of aesthetic factors are often seen in traditional architecture whether they be Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic, or Christian. They are repositories of collective consciousness and wisdom; centuries of sedimentation of thoughts, ideas, and aesthetic concentration. Something of this kind is seen in all the works of Bala, in particular the work that he executed after returning from Cambodia. The work along with many details and views is reproduced here. Still however, it is not possible to see the work from reproduction, since in reproductions a view of the whole work loses the details, and the detailed view must miss the entirety. Although such constraints are generic to all the artworks in reproduction, in the case of Bala’s work the constraint becomes far more problematic and limiting.

I should now like to discuss the work on Bala’s Cambodia experience.

True, the talks around the politics, commerce, economy, and culture of art have received the lion’s share. This, in spite of the fact that the above aspects, somehow, have constituted the core of artistic concerns worldwide and historically so. Yet the historian and critic have chosen to describe the trivial, the obvious, and the profane. Criticism is biting its own tail; it is lost in the quagmire of its own making.