Art, Aesthetics and Artists

By Pushkar Lele

This land of ours, Bharat, is witness to innumerable architectural and sculptural wonders that have assimilated diverse influences to create beautiful spaces of high aesthetic value. Aesthetics has been an essential element for our artists and creators not only in their art but also in other aspects of their personal lives. Even ordinary objects for day-to-day use were artistically and aesthetically made without compromising their utility.

However, I have wondered if aesthetics has somewhat become a low-priority area for us over the years. While many of the tangible heritage monuments and objects still live on, this intangible sense of aesthetics seems to have almost been wiped off the psyche of most middle-class Indians. Don’t musicians think beyond their riyaaz, public performances, commercial engagements, marketing, promotions and PR? Were musicians always this way? Is aesthetic living too much of a luxury that musicians of humble backgrounds cannot afford? Can’t one inhabit an aesthetic space, literally and figuratively, without making much investment in terms of money? These and several such questions crowd my mind.

Why is that so? Aren’t we one of the most ancient and spiritually advanced civilizations? Didn’t we possess an innate sense of aesthetics? Where has that sense gone today?

Being a musician myself, I was hoping that the sense of aesthetics would thrive within every musician's home, workspace and community in general. After all, an artiste's inner urge is bound to inspire him or her to capture beauty wherever they find it. Also, if it is so beautifully expressed in their own musical presentations, be in singing or playing an instrument, then it would automatically find expression in their houses, clothes and general tastes and choices in life. Right? Sadly in my experience, this is not true. There are, of-course notable exceptions to it, but a general overview paints a sorry picture. Not every musician is an artiste!

What defines a true artiste?

What is it that differentiates a musician from a true artiste? Why is the sense of proportion, balance, colour, texture, arrangement and design that is so evident in their musical expressions seem lacking in their overall manner of living? If dancers, painters, sculptors, architects, and designers live such tasteful lives, why don't musicians? Why are many musicians' homes unable to reflect their inner beauty and seem to be devoid of any taste? Isn't beauty in all aspects of their life a necessity for musicians? Can aesthetics be taught?

Gangubai Hangal. Source - Wikipedia

However, there seems to be some hope as not all of this aesthetic sense is gone, not for everyone and not everywhere! Something reassures me that this sense is still alive at some level and is making lives and living spaces not just liveable but aesthetically beautiful. And I believe each one of us can live aesthetically – all it takes is vision and the interest to do so.

Thankfully, most musicians who have influenced me and with whom I came in direct or indirect contact were not merely musicians but true artists. An artist is one who, in my opinion, looks at art as a comprehensive natural expression of life, although he or she may be a practitioner and master of only a certain kind of art. Such a person sees the interconnectedness of all arts, respects all artistic expressions and finds inspiration in diverse sources. Such individuals are extremely curious, well read, have diverse interests, interact and connect with different art and artists, and are many-a-times able to articulate their artistic vision and communicate with people from diverse fields and backgrounds using their vocabulary and concepts from diverse art forms. Such a large canvas enriches them with varied experiences, which eventually reflect in their creation and enliven their music.

While it is extremely important for musicians to spend a good amount of time in dedicated sangeet ‘sadhana’, it is equally important to occasionally interact with its immediately neighbouring art forms like literature, dance, theatre, film, fine arts, sculpture, photography and architecture. Stimuli and inspirations can come from all corners, and a sensitive artiste is able to latch on, transform or apply them in the art form that he is proficient in.

Kumar Gandharva. Source - Wikipedia

A jeweller friend once took Pt. Kumar Gandharva to show some of the jewellery designs that he had created. Looking at some fine examples of exquisite bangles, Kumar ji remarked, “Now I know exactly what the bandish – ‘Kanganuwa mora ata hi amola’ in Raga Kedar wants to say and how it is to be sung!”. Travel experiences, observations of trees, animals and Nature, visiting temples, museums, and several such life experiences inspired him to compose new bandish-s/raga-s.

Many of his contemporaries like Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Dr. Vasantrao Deshpande, P L Deshpande and several other artists of that generation and earlier were not just singers but true artists.

Can one sing a thumri/ghazal without having any first-hand experience of love and heartbreak? Can one sing a Dhrupad/Bhajan or piece of devotional poetry without having any spiritual experience? Can one explore the subtleties and nuances of a raga without feeling its raga-ness? Can one explore the expanse between two swars without first listening to the sound of silence in Nature? Can one reach the center of a note without experiencing stillness without and within? It sure is possible to be technically 'sound' and be able to present these forms in perfect sur-taal. But the soulful expression can come, in my humble opinion, only from some real or surreal experience, no matter how faint and inconsequential it may seem.

The impulse to seek beauty, however, cannot be forced upon anyone. It has to come from within and in an organic manner. An inquisitive mind, an irrepressible urge to express felt emotions and a lust for life differentiate an artiste from a mere singer. Isn't living life voraciously the outermost limit of 'riyaaz'? A singer can delve into the depths of grammar, practice and polish his skills for thousands of hours and engage in analytical discussions. But the real 'expression' and passion in his singing can only be felt if he has led an artistic life full of rich experiences, observations and wise understandings.

Evolving as an artist, I believe, will also evolve the individual as an aesthete. How can one be refined in one aspect of life without it permeating into every aspect of one's living? As one develops as a musician or an artist, it cannot help but manifest itself into how they live and seek beauty and harmony in their surroundings and in nature, eventually transcending them into the divine realm!