Paintings

The Treasury Benches erupted with joy when the restructuring in income-tax slabs was announced, breaking spontaneously into chants of "Modi, Modi"

A Delhi court is likely to decide today whether or not to direct an FIR after a plea alleged two paintings of late artist and Padma awardee M F Husain hurt religious sentiments. Judicial magistrate first class Sahil Monga had on January 20 ordered the seizure of the paintings displayed at an art gallery in the national capital and reserved the order on FIR after hearing arguments. The paintings feature Hindu deities Hanuman and Ganesh. During the hearing on Wednesday, complainant and advocate Amita Sachdeva, said the most revered entities of Sanatan Dharma -- Hanuman and Ganesh -- were insulted in Husain's paintings. "This is obscenity. Depicted most revered deities in obscene manner a deliberate and malicious insult. Husain may be the greatest artist in the world, but he has no right to insult my deities," he argued. He claimed there was an advertisement and thousands of people saw the painting of "deities being ridiculed". "Prima facie case is made out for exhibiting such offen

Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Monday justified replacing an iconic painting of Pakistan's surrender in the 1971 war at his office in Raisina Hills with a new artwork titled "Karam Kshetra". The painting on the 1971 war was removed from the Army chief's lounge in December and it was subsequently installed at the Manekshaw convention centre. The shifting of the historic painting had anguished many Army veterans and the decision came under some criticism. "If you see the golden history of India -- it has three chapters. It has the British era, the Mughal era and the era before that. If we wish to connect that and the Army's vision, symbolism becomes important," Gen. Dwivedi said. The new painting, "Karam Kshetra", meaning "Field of Deeds", is a creation of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Jacob of the 28 Madras regiment. It portrays the Army as a guardian of "Dharma" that protects the nation's values and reflects its evolution into a technologically-advanced integrated force, accord

It allows artists to express various themes without being confined to a single medium

Renowned artist A Ramachandran died from prolonged illness at his residence here on Saturday. He was 89. "He was sick for quite some time now and passed away at 9 this morning from medical complications, his son Rahul told PTI. Details of the last rites will be confirmed later, he added. Born in 1935 in Attingal, Kerala, Ramachandran was known for his monumental canvases, colourful oils and watercolours. In 2002, he was elected a Fellow of the Lalit Kala Akademi and received the Padma Bhushan for outstanding service to the nation in 2005.

When compared to the West and China, though, the value of Indian art is much lower

The 1937 painting 'The Story Teller' fetched a whopping Rs 61.8 crore at Saffronart's 'Evening Sale: Modern Art' in New Delhi

The famous illustrator and sculptor KM Vasudevan Namboothiri, from Kerala, passed away at the age of 97. PM Modi expressed his condolences on his demise

A portrait by Anglo-Hungarian painter Philip de Laszlo of two Indian soldiers who fought in World War I was placed under a temporary export bar by the British government to allow time for a UK institution to acquire the "wonderful and sensitive" work to prevent it leaving the country. The unfinished portrait, valued at around GBP 650,000, depicts cavalry officers Risaldar Jagat Singh and Risaldar Man Singh junior troop commanders in the British Indian Army's Expeditionary Force who served at the Battle of the Somme in France and presumed to have died in action. The painting is extremely rare in depicting active Indian participants in the First World War. This wonderful and sensitive portrait captures an important moment in our history as soldiers were drawn from across the globe to help fight in the trenches of the First World War, said Lord Stephen Parkinson, UK Arts and Heritage Minister. I hope this magnificent painting can remain in the UK to help tell the story of those brave

It is an asset that long-term commitment and keen interest in trends and taste

AstaGuru has focused largely on presenting works by eminent modern and contemporary Indian artists so far

The Da Vinci painting, though, is among the works that have come under attack most frequently

Buying art can be a challenge with the plethora of choices available. Do your research before hand and ask questions, so that you end up buying something you will be happy with

The fair is the country's biggest exhibition of contemporary and modern art from South Asia

While they work much better than plain paint; you need to get a fix on the theme, size and material you want and the artist's contractual obligations before you put the money on the table

New York dealer, Marianne Boesky, sold multiple pieces in her booth, including a resin-on-wood piece by Donald Moffett for $160,000

The huge prices in Indian art today are for the 'eight great big daddies of art, so maybe one should wait one's turn in the queue', Menon tells Pavan Lall

Online sales for all categories including watches have also been strong. These timepieces drew as much as $12 million in sales in Dubai

The painting that can be viewed at Soth­eby's London auction house is ex­p­ected to sell for between £4 million and £6 million ($5.5 million to $8.3 million.)

In this extraordinary time, Kallat tells Pavan Lall about the interesting space called ordinary that he's fiercely in search of