Art

Khyaan, Rivaan, Aakash, Revant & Hriman

Real life situation
House Pictures
Terracotta Workshop
Knowledge and the knowers

Padma Shri VK Munusamy, is one of India's finest terracotta

artist who won the Padma Shri award in 2020. His father and
his fathers father all have been artists who work with
terracotta and thus taking on their knowledge VK
Munuswamy is one of the worlds greatest terracotta artists.
Key terms

● Culture
● Perspective
● Interpretation
How does knowing more about the social, cultural or
historical context of a work of art have an impact on
our knowledge of the work itself?
Art is a product of an artist’s expressions, it is a piece of work which resembles the artist itself. It is
very hard to separate an artists thought process and their artwork due to the artwork being a
metaphorical piece of the artist. An artist’s mind is plagued with the ongoing movement of the
world, this includes cultural aspects the artist faced and the duality of life; how easy going or how
harsh the world was upon the artist. Knowing the social, cultural and historical context of a work
broadens our perspective, allowing us to see the true meaning behind the work. An example of this
are the houses, the houses have large verandas and in the centre of the house there is no roof. One
would take a look at this and just think that was the fashion style at that time however
understanding the history at the time helps develop a fuller image and understanding. At the time,
many people used to travel on foot and as a courtesy many house owners would allow people to
rest on their verandas while they serve beverages allowing for the travelers to take a pause in their
journey. Moreover, the centre of the houses had no roof as a means of rain water harvesting. An
example of culture helping us understand art, is Padma Shri VK Munusamy, the art form has been
passed down through multiple generates, from father to father and with that the essence of what
time brings has been passed down. It is not only art, it is tradition for Padma Shri VK Munusamy and
you can see this as he looks up to it with great nobility.
 Further points on the KQ
● Art doesn’t just serve to be visually appealing to the human eye; it also serves to elicit
emotions and be a medium of expression through which one can express ideas about
culture and society. Learning about the context of a work can aid one in understanding more
about the culture an art piece depicts and make one appreciate it a greater extent.
● For example, learning how the art of Terracotta pottery has been passed on from generation
to generation helps one understand that the pottery works don’t just serve to be pretty, but
serve as a connection between Padmi Shri VK Munuswamy and his ancestors. The amount
of time the art has survived gives clues to how his family deemed the style of pottery
significant enough as to attempt to preserve it for the future generations. It could even
serve as a way of indirectly displaying filial piety. With this context, we are able to interpret
the terracotta pottery much better.
● Similarly, learning about the socioeconomic background of the people who lived in houses at
the Dakshin Chitra helped us understand why the houses were built the way they were
built.
● Because these pieces of art are so different to us, who are only familiar with contemporary
works of art, we tend to interpret them through a modern lens. Learning about an artwork’s
social, cultural, or historical context is the only way to understand the point of view of
artists who were part of different cultures, regions, or time periods.