CONTEMPORARY EMBOSSING ART PRACTICES IN INDIA: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY A Thesis Submitted to For the award of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PhD) In FINE ARTS By Tikendra Kumar Sahu 41300154 Supervised By Dr. Abid Hadi LOVELY FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND ARTS LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY PUNJAB 2018 DECLARATION I declare that the thesis entitled “Contemporary Embossing Art Practices in India: An Exploratory Study” has been prepared by me under the guidelines of Dr. Abid Hadi. No part of this thesis has formed the basis for award of any degree of fellowship previously. Tikendra Kumar Sahu 41300154 Lovely Professional University Phagwara, Punjab Date: i CERTIFICATE I certify that Tikendra Kumar Sahu has prepared his thesis entitled “Contemporary Embossing Art Practices in India: An Exploratory Study”, for the award of Ph.D. degree of the Lovely professional University, under my guidance. He has come out the work at the Department of Fine Arts, School of Journalism, Film Production, and Creative Arts, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab. Dr. Abid Hadi Associate Professor Dept. of Fine Arts, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh (U.P.) Date: ii ABSTRACT The content of this thesis proposes organized studies under the title of ‘Contemporary Embossing Art Practices in India’. However the focus of the thesis renders the embossing art practices in moderation to the contemporary field of fine arts, it attempts in deriving the historic contexts, as well as it intends to approach the futuristic potentiality. The arguments revolve around how the practices of groups of a significant artist in India have been working with conceptual and formal innovations in embossed art practices that transcend local histories and conventions. The account under these studies do not aim to trace the direct evolution of art with embossing tendencies and its mediums; it rather opts to refer the historical account for juxtaposing the meaning, contexts, similarities, and distinctiveness. The studies underneath this thesis tracing the roots and development from the historical background of visual making in India, and several significant concerns stand as imperative to inquire. The embossed practices were more or less intensely routed to traditional arts and crafts of India. On the other hand route in the transformation was accomplished under the other visual arts disciplines by globalization and migration which reflect postmodernist concerns. The globalization has been stimulating visual art to have bigger platforms. For instance, plenty of non-conventional or new media-based mediums are being utilized as in printmaking discipline. On account of all such reasons, changes occurred in visual outlook; the amalgamation of interdisciplinary practice emerged as installation art and collaborative works of art with new artistic value. Such transformations help to understand the broader sense of the act of making art in the context of embossed practices. The shift of the fundamental attributes of embossing art practices in mark with material-oriented formalism is a core interest of the argument under this thesis. The artists were selected for in- depth analysis from various parts of India, whose creative practice deals with deeply rooted cultural traditions to the transformed new language in visual arts. Addressing innovative activity in this thesis exposes new possibilities by a theoretical, practical and aesthetic framework in the existing practices. Keywords: Contemporary Art, Embossing Art, Metal Embossing, Paper Embossing, Print Embossment iii PREFACE The artistic conception deviates depending on various cultures and remodels their subject on embossing practices accordingly. It is a universal language conceived by those who have a sympathetic understanding of the subject. The study, of course, remained quite interesting though any study of this nature cannot be expected to cover all the facts and information, which come within range of the proposed topic. In the course of this study a trail to present the roots of works of embossing art which is more significant. The artist plays an important role to express his idea by using various mediums as well as techniques toward contextualization of the concern. The medium itself cannot consider as an art, it required many functional elements which make sense; like when we write an essay, it will not serve to get deliberate meaning from a single word it required to add an element, conjunction, context, rhythm, suggestion, and proposition. All the grammar substances help to create formulation, whereas creative individual understands the grammar formation then explore and achieve innovative levels. Subsequently, an artist develops new meanings out of the composed passage and reflects the intention and concerns. If the intention is good and effort given by worth concern the fruitfulness of outcome will be benefited to the society. The mediums, techniques, and processes of embossing have worked as mediation to impart an art; it could not be a goal for the artist. For instance, an artist makes sculptures of God/Goddess. What does he do? An artist will prepare clay by beating, punching and processed that clay which can be moderated. The artists are evolved to cultivate and transformed from normal clay to the level of iconic form. The people worship idol by giving efforts to establish with design, grace and worthy environment only after installation (Pran Pratistha). People don’t pray all the roadside stone as a God, similar way embossing or embossed surface only cannot be considered an art. The art is the highest level of (meditation) qualitative composition which bent works of arts in the faculty of mind as a form of fruits. Categorization of visual art is generally based on mediums. Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking, etc. are the examples of such categorization it is very rare nomenclature that deals with categorization based on outlook and aesthetics. The same reason is the matter that carried the studies under this thesis to have subjectivity on embossing art. Embossing art is the possible category that is neither fully mural nor the sculpture because art in the contemporary context is being cultivated through plenty of traditional, conventional and non-conventional medium. The research study gives the void sense of understanding about the various medium, material and methods have been used in the contemporary embossing art practices. These research studies are based on explicit artist’s interview and their given insights through the works of arts; it allows understanding their thought process, symbolism, and philosophy. Each artist has the various cultural and social ground of inspiration that shows the distinguish iv technique, method, process, and expression; the creative expression also extends with new context and dimensions in visual art practices. In the commencement of chapter one, the content covers the context of the embossment, a general introduction of embossment, significance, and scope of research, objectives of the research, and its methodological Justification. The literature informing contextual review prepares the ground to understand the historical background of Indian arts and its development. The institutional development plays an important role in the contemporary arts of India; chapter two addresses the origin and expansion of printmaking in India. Chapter three is based on the research design, research methods and procedure applied to obtain specified objectives. The further chapter covers technical disclosure and conceptual orientation both are very much important to understand the core area of embossing art practices. The brief overview of embossment extends by types and purpose of embossing, under those relevant forms of the embossing techniques in visual art. Techniques seem to body and concepts like the soul in the works of art, both aspects are very much important to contextualize and interpret for a deeper level of understanding. The investigator elucidates the theoretical orientation under human mind, creation of embossment, and aesthetic sensibility of the creative process deals with framing its significant approaches. An explicit research study is the core of studies which is based on direct observation of the works of artists, personal interviews, studios, galleries, and museum visit; this studies impart the contents by analysis’s and synthesize the expansion of the embossed art practices. Specific methods and context developed by rigorous art practices effortlessly by an artist. Alternative senses of visual aesthetics were developed by continuous practice so they evolve with their distinctive style that can be reflected in their expressive works of arts. This chapter is accounted with the individual approach under- medium and technique, concept and context, philosophy and symbolism of selected artist. The thought process has been narrated to understand the development of accomplished works of art as well as observe and discuss formalistic expansion in the thesis. The last chapter discusses the futuristic possibilities of embossments as an artistic medium, an artist establishes his imagination through the mediation of mediums it means the importance of the concern with appropriateness is significant. Innovation and experiment in the embossed art exposed towards globalization, installation art, and collaborative projects, etc. We have a specialized area in visual arts like painting, printmaking, and sculpture but some of the artists think beyond its fundamental limitations and exchange of discipline