Paint a Pretty Picture

Hardly ever is anyone seen passing by a painting or some other work of art and without noticing it or at the least doing a double-take. A painting is something that has the ability to capture the attention of anyone and everyone. And why should it not? After all it is the beautiful culmination of a painter’s imagination, translated into a beautiful picture on a sheet of canvas.

These days the market of paintings, sculptures, sketches and other works of art is growing rapidly. So many people are developing an aesthetic sense and looking to buy pieces of works by myriad painters. In such a scenario, the work opportunities for a painter are limitless and ever-increasing.

A painter is someone who portrays his thoughts and imagination by putting them on a canvas in the form of a painting or sketch for the world to see. A painter does not merely create a painting on a sheet of paper; it has much deeper meaning that that. A painter can use any style of expression, it could be painting on a canvas, sketching, painting on a building, painting a wall, painting other architectural structures, etc.

There are many different forms a painting can take. It could be an oil painting, a mural (paintings on buildings), portrait of a person, modern art, a naturalistic painting, a representative painting, an abstract one or a photographic painting. The Painter could be painting to depict anything. They can give expression to their emotions in a piece of work. They could be raising a social issue by portraying something related to the same in the painting. They could be giving out a social message. Some paintings are also full of symbolism and some have some or the other kind of narrative content in them.

Paintings are generally displayed in art galleries and museums. Some artists also set up exhibitions of their work where people can come and have a look at their paintings. Many paintings sold to connoisseurs and some are even auctioned at very high prices. An artist could also be asked by an individual, an organization or the government to work for them and paint a building, a wall, a ceiling or any other object.

If you are good at your job, passionate about what you put down on the canvas, show dedication in the way you work and your works are being liked by the people, you earn a good reputation and soon become a painter whose work is thoroughly in demand in the paintings market.

A painting can easily fetch any amount of money starting from 10,000 INR. Some paintings are also auctioned for lakhs and crores and some for even more. It all depends on the artist’s skill and the nature of the painting.

One does not need to have any particular qualification to become a painter. What one does need is great craftsmanship, good observation skills, a creative and extremely imaginative mind and a passion for their work. However, some institutes in India like the Government College of Art & Craft, Calcutta, the Delhi Collage of Art, New Delhi and the Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi do offers courses to those interested. One’s technical skills must also be very sound.