Art under cover

For many, books are the only way to see famous paintings

There’s a snobbish trend these days to assume that if you spend time and money on glossy art books with more images and less text, you know very little. I used to be one of those snobs too. But then I changed my mind. The more I think of it, the more I realise that a good publication with good reproductions is really the only way most of us will ever really see art. If you wanted to see Matisse’s famous “Dancers”, would you travel to the Hermitage and spend a day there? Ideally, yes. But in our own rushed lives, sadly, this is unlikely. But you could see it in any of the many books available all over India.

You might argue that this is true for Western artists whose works are not only scattered everywhere, but also often not on display. I’m beginning to think that it’s true for Indian art as well. One of the earliest serial art book producers of high quality was Vadhera Art Gallery. Now, there are several more and they allow you to enjoy all kinds of artists.

One of my favourite artists is Bhupen Khakkar. Now that he is no longer alive, we know that only rarely will he be part of an exhibition. And you can’t force your way into a collector’s home to see the works either. But there are books and, in this case, plenty of them with good images of many of the greatest works. Gallery Espace’s recent catalogue for its show, Lo Real Marvilloso, with Khakkar’s work, was an example.

In the case of Indian artists, the excellent quality of many of the catalogues also takes the works beyond the gallery. Galleries in India now often produce high quality, really collectible catalogues. In a few days, Mithu Sen’s show, Black Candy, will open in Mumbai. Sen is a popular artist, but several of her shows and works are abroad. Fortunately, a catalogue of the same title will be released along with Sen’s show. Till now, museums in India would never have figured on this list but Open Doors, the catalogue of The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Noida, has changed that.

Not all catalogues are free. Increasingly, galleries put a price tag on publications and there are few subsidies. Even so they are worth buying if you like the artist. If you have children, this is a way for them to learn to enjoy art, even if school and homework stops them from getting to see worthwhile art shows.

But there is a flip side to books too. What about new media works? How do you see video and sound art? No there is no alternative but to see these directly — let’s face it, if you miss it, you really have missed it. I don’t see books ever being able to do justice to new media, since, by their very nature, they are ephemeral and experiential. Even installations must be ideally seen in their present, not as images. Still they can be photographed and the sense of the work conveyed.

I’m not suggesting that we don’t go out and see shows. We must. But I’m also saying that we spend more time in bookshops as a way of learning about art. And that we keep the thick books with fantastic reproductions not in our living rooms and foyers but on our bookshelves, alongside the popular thrillers.

[The author is a Delhi-based freelance writer]