Efforts needed to honour artists and promote art: Dr Vijay Darda

 Media Coverage  |  14-02-2025

‘Landscape Painting’ exhibition at Jawaharlal Darda Art Gallery

Nagpur

In ancient times, artists and their work flourished under royal patronage. However, in today’s changing scenario, there is growing indifference toward the field of art. Colours, brushes and canvases are becoming mere memories. Yet, art lovers should not lose hope and artists should continue with their creative pursuits. Concerted efforts should be made for the development and promotion of art, said Chairman of editorial board of Lokmat Media Group and former member of Rajya Sabha Dr Vijay Darda.

He was speaking at a ‘Landscape Painting’ exhibition organised at the Jawaharlal Darda Art Gallery on Thursday. The event was graced by world-renowned watercolor artist Milind Mulick as the chief guest.

Dr Vijay Darda shared his experiences of various art cultures from around the world. He said that in China, an entire village is dedicated to artists, where thousands of them reside together. Grand exhibitions and festivals dedicated to art in France, Italy and other European countries are globally renowned. However, he expressed regret over the lack of such initiatives in India.

Dr Darda pointed out that Maharashtra once played a leading role in the country due to royal and institutional patronage of art. Even today, Bengal continues to offer similar patronage, which has resulted in high demand for its artists on a global level. States that do not properly honour their artists cannot be considered truly developed. To change this scenario, the Jawaharlal Darda Art Gallery is making an effort to initiate a campaign. “We are striving to honour senior artists and provide a platform for emerging talent. Artists should make full use of this gallery,” he said.

Milind Mulick’s live demonstration

During the event, watercolour artist Milind Mulick conducted a live painting demonstration for students and art enthusiasts. He also provided guidance on watercolour painting techniques. Expressing his concern, he said, “Today, artists lack public and governmental patronage. However, the Jawaharlal Darda Art Gallery is working towards providing such support.” He further expressed his desire to establish branches of the gallery in Pune and Mumbai.

Artists who won awards

Artists were awarded for their outstanding works at the exhibition. Abhishek Kumar won the first place, while Tushar Kumbhare secured the second place. Nandkishore Salwatkar’s work came in third place. Apart from this, Shripad Bhongade, Karan Kawade, Gopinath Mandal, Vedant Khasbage, Umesh Deshpande and Swapnil Shiurkar were given consolation prizes.

Showcasing Ambhora’s beauty

The Jawaharlal Darda Art Gallery recently organised an art camp in Ambhora on December 28-29 for students from various fine arts and design colleges in Vidarbha. The paintings created during the camp, depicting the natural beauty of Ambhora, are on display at the exhibition, which will continue until February 16. This information was provided by the gallery’s curator Amit Gonade.

Chairman of editorial board of Lokmat Media Group and former member of Rajya Sabha Dr Vijay Darda, along with renowned watercolour artist Milind Mulick, presented prizes to the winners of the exhibition held at Jawaharlal Darda Art Gallery on Thursday. Professors of various arts colleges in Vidarbha were also felicitated on the occasion.

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