Monday, July 9, 2012

Art and Heritage at Venkatappa Art Gallery and Government Museum

Author: Aarabhi
Photographer: Vasistha


Government Museum

We are a travel crazy family, with my husband, Vasista as the Kapitan. Any travel news in the media first catches his eye. So, when The Hindu published an article about the Government Museum in Bangalore, his curiosity was piqued and he asked me if I would like to go there. Starting any trip very early in the day is our modus operandi. This time though, it wasn’t an option for us. This museum and the attached Venkatappa art gallery open at 10 am and close at 5. So, there we were at the stroke of 10 staring up at the colonial style building with cornices and Corinthian columns. Painted a bright red color, it stood out amongst its ultramodern neighbors like UB city.


The ultramodern UB City in contrast to the colonial Museum

The entry fee for the museum is a measly four rupees per head, but the plaque beside the ticket counter reads: “No tickets will be issued if there is a power failure”. This is because the tickets are electronic, like BMTC tickets. But, refusing people entry just because there is no power seems to be a typical apathetic behavior of a governmental institution. 


The museum houses an eclectic collection of megalithic pottery, jewelry, tools, weapons, and sculpture mostly found in and around Karnataka. There are also, paintings of different styles such as Mysore, Persian, Mughalai and Deccan.
A beautiful four spouted pot and painted clay beads from tombs long lost are noteworthy. Few artifacts of the Vijayanagar Empire such as ivory dice, and eerily symmetrical faces of mythological characters are also on display.

Vijayanagar Carvings
Sculpture










The famous Halmidi inscription circa 450 AD, renowned to be the oldest Kannada inscription is also housed here.

The first floor of the museum is a treat as it houses good paintings. Amazingly well preserved wooden idols of Narasimha, Hanuman and other gods can also be seen here. The most striking display is a series of Mysore style paintings of Ramayana. These painstakingly worked panels cover almost half a wall on this floor.


The annex building of the museum displays rock sculpture of gods and goddesses. The name boards of these idols are queer. The museum’s archeologists seem to have been in great doubt about their discoveries. Seeming to guess the identity of the idol they have excavated, the nameplate reads: “Goddess: 11th century BC: Durga?” The next ones are even better: “Vaishnavi? Parvathi? Ganesh?” I felt like asking the gatekeeper: “What’s with these question marks?”

One more example of governmental apathy is the section displaying sculptures of the Vijayanagar Empire which are carelessly exposed to the elements. They are displayed in an open courtyard without even a canopy for rain protection!
Sculptures open to the elements!

In front of the Gallery
The adjoining Venkatappa art gallery is a feast for the eyes. There aren’t adjectives in this language which can describe what a person can experience from the art of Venkatappa.

Marble panels depicting mythological scenes are wonderfully realistic. The figures are embossed in a raised pattern on the marble and show the delineation and sinuous lines of the human form in loving detail. The sheer range of fine-art forms in which Venkatappa was proficient is mind boggling. He played musical instruments like the Veena, sculpted marble, painted in water colors and oils, designed and executed the interiors of Mysore Maharaja’s palace, the list is endless.

He was one of the best of his contemporaries in all the fields he touched. The displays in this gallery are living proof of his genius and a visit to view and enjoy them in an unforgettably uplifting experience. His water color depictions of Ooty in its many avatars: ‘during the monsoons’, ‘in the fall’, ‘moonrise on a hill’ are wonderful renditions that bring alive the ethereal quality of the Nilgiris.

A huge contrast to this beauty is the first floor of the gallery which houses modern art by many famous artists, including M F Hussain. My husband and I have never been big fans of this art form. The display put up here, at the gallery, just cemented our opinions. Maybe we lack the understanding ability of this particular art, but come on? A splash of 12 different colors on a canvas is called "Art"? My six year old niece can do that! It was a complete emotional letdown. Venkatappa's art enlightens, makes you think and brings you joy. Whereas this art gets a reaction of: "Huh! What's that thing on the wall?"


Author with a Nandi