The Hindu Business Line : Art facts, etc.

If you have a traditional looking room in your home, don't look at abstracts.
Ornate frames are a complete no-no if you are investing heavily in the painting.
Indian paintings go with Indian décor.
Even as you experiment, it is best to consult an interior designer.

Freeze frame: Wall hangings from Focus Gallery. -- Bijoy Ghosh

A white glass-like board divided into square-shaped cells. Each cell contains one type of item — coloured stones, roots and shoots, flowers, coloured threads and so on. Simple, yet striking. As eyes wander around the artefact, a small paper tag describes it as "Mixed Media."

If you are wondering how to fill that blank wall, just look at such new-age art. Canvas is not the only option for painters today. "Other media like fibre-glass and optics, reflecting surfaces and plastic provide a great scope for artists," says Shalini Biswajit, Director, Forum Art Gallery. These different materials give a chic look to the art. Even simple designs look fascinating on them and make for great office space-fillers.

Paintings have been considered a connoisseur's territory. Not any more. As paintings become assets whose value is likely to appreciate, more people are investing in them. Interior designers help choose what suits people's homes or offices best. Interior designers like Shalini are generally artists or have an understanding of art. "I don't deal with mass-produced artists' work or prints. I recommend only works whose value is likely to appreciate, "she says.

What's in?

Like clothes, paintings too go in and out of fashion. Paintings can be broadly classified into Contemporary (modern art, and abstract) and Traditional (Indian, Oriental, Victorian, and Egyptian). According to Shalini, contemporary work is in huge demand, especially paintings that do not have too many splashes of colour. "Abstracts with minimalist work is selling well," she says.

Kirit Shah, Partner, Focus Gallery, agrees that modern paintings are doing well. "About 90 per cent of offices buy abstract paintings with 3-4 colours. The colours vary according to the décor," he says. One can use different paintings for the public and private areas.

He adds that paintings by upcoming South Indian artists are also popular. If you have a traditional looking room in your home, don't look at abstracts. They may mar the theme of the room, unless you are bold enough to experiment matching a contemporary piece in a traditional room. The safest bet would be Ravi Varma prints that are the rage this season, says Shah.

One category you may clearly want to avoid this season is the Egyptian, Oriental and African art. These are seasonal pieces and do not go with regular décor.

Alternative for paintings

To have a couple of paintings in one's home, one must have a minimum budget of Rs 10,000, says Shalini. For those who want a series of paintings around a theme, a decent budget would be about Rs 1 lakh. This is for paintings that are generally 12" X 15" in size.

If you have just spent all your money on building a house, there is an alternative. Prints of famous works are available for down-to-earth prices. Starting at Rs 50 and going up to Rs 50,000, prints offer a large variety of designs, themes and colours to choose from. Impressionists, Indian, computer art, photographs... the options are many.

"We have prints from Europe, mainly the UK and Italy, that are copyrighted," says Shah. He adds that hotels and resorts use a lot of such prints. So, that beautiful landscape of a green forest could find place by your living room too. Prints are ideal for small homes.

Frame it right

Besides the painting there is another object that catches the eye — the frame. Ask Shalini how important she thinks a frame is to the painting, and the artist in her jumps out. "The focus of the piece should be the painting, not the frame," she says, approving of simple frames with vertical lines made of wood or plastic. Ornate frames are a complete no-no if you are investing heavily in the painting.

But for less expensive works like prints, framing is as important as the print itself. Frames come in wood, styrene and metal besides plastic. Matting boards (a variety of cardboard) in various colours help frame pictures better. Non-reflective glass is used for paintings (mainly water colour and portraits in oil), while reflective glass is used in the case of prints. Frame sizes vary from 8" X 8" to 54" X 54".

Since framing depends so much on paintings and décor, it is impossible to see any trend. "It is generally best to keep both the painting and the frame of the same genre," says Shah. This means if you have a traditional Tanjore painting, it would be best to frame it in a yellow metal (preferably gold coloured) frame rather than a funky looking silver or a matt-finish beige one. Consequently, Indian paintings go with Indian décor.

But there are exceptions. Take the case of a Victorian frame on a Saraswathi painting. Perceived as outlandish, it could go decently with Victorian furniture. Mixing and matching frames and paintings could be fun. For example, an `Old Madras' photograph in black and white will go well with a contemporary thin black frame. But even as you experiment, it is best to consult an interior designer. The latest statement in the art world seems to be the non-usage of a frame. Artists extend the painting outside of the canvas and display the piece on an easel, not hanging on wall.

Points to remember

As you browse in the art gallery, a few points must be remembered. Look at the choice of materials and the décor of your place before hunting for the painting. For example, leather furniture and fibreglass paintings gel well. A contemporary sofa in a neutral shade will go equally well with a traditional or a contemporary painting in the backdrop.

Look for multi-coloured paintings only if your walls are neutral (in white, off-white or beige).

While looking for prints, ask the art gallery salesperson to show you all sizes of the print. Seeing how the final print will look after being blown up or shrunk in size will help visualise how the colours and shapes on it would look on your wall.

Choose the frame last. Remember a frame should be sturdy and elegant, not flimsy and attention-seeking.

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