The art of buying cheap

THE ART CLUB

At a time when prices for original works of contemporary art are at their highest, it is still possible to buy newer, younger and unknown artists for less then Rs 5,000. Nor is this a very difficult exercise.

And no, it doesn't mean you'll end up with streetside kitsch, or even folk art "" at the price, with a little bit of negotiating and a great deal of luck, you could find yourself works of art that would look great on a wall.

The best works are often on the net, and if like me you're willing to spend a little time searching for artists, art and gallerists on the world wide web, the results could be more than satisfying.

There are all kinds of offers floating about in cyberspace, not least of which are the "buy one signed poster, get another free" kind.

Artists often post information on etchings or limited edition prints, but if you're absolutely stuck on totally original works, then you might wish to visit the www.saffronart.com site where you can click on the "under $100" button to scroll down images of watercolours, gouache, mixed media and even oils "" all for practically a song.

What's more, you actually get to see all the works, complete with size (often small) and other details. All prices are listed (packing and delivery is extra), so you can actually do a gift search for a friend for Rs 2,100, or something a little more expensive for yourself.

The other thing to do is to subscribe to art sites, since the smarter ones do regular mailings of inexpensive art on the net.

I've often scrolled through works that look interesting, and posted questions that are usually promptly answered, though not with too many details (makes you wonder whether they're being fed off a template) "" but prices are often under Rs 5,000 and usually below Rs 10,000; if you live in the same city, you can then arrange to visit the office and view the works; if not, you might have to trust the monitor's ability to reproduce an image authentically. I usually find the eye can be deceived by acrylics or watercolours, and find ink and charcoal drawings more foolproof.

If you visit smaller galleries (more art shops, really), you'll find that if you ask for inexpensive art, they'll usually have a good supply (and well framed too in the bargain) usually made by housewives who had once wanted to be artists, or even students wanting to make themselves a little pin money.

This usually tends to the more flamboyant with Anjolie Ela Menon style portraits, or Vaikuntam-like paintings, all brightly done and meant to bring cheer.

The students themselves tend to do more serious work, so if you're willing to sift through the totally amateur to the really talented, you'll have to start patronising art colleges, or ask around among art students (never the art faculty who always take themselves seriously and overprice their works): great charcoal drawings, intense brooding landscapes and incoherent abstracts, some of which are worth the little money they'll ask for (you can negotiate some more, but come on, they're only students and could probably put the money to good use).

My least favourite place is picture framing shops, if only because this is where you usually find the worst kind of calendar art kitsch (the Banaras ghats remain a favourite, for some reason), or horrible still lifes of vases of flowers and bowls full of poorly shaped apples.

However, if you're willing to wade through hundreds of these works, you will eventually find something that's a little more exciting, though the exercise might leave you feeling exhausted. That's when a good piece of art should revive your spirits. Particularly if you've got it for the price of a night out in town.