PUNE: Commercial art, also known as visual or applied art, is an up and coming field for fine arts students with opportunities in book illustrations, design and advertising.
Art teacher Shashikant Gawali said art colleges accepted students if they had good drawing skills two decades ago but now there are two departments —applied art and fine arts.
“Students interested in drawing nature or from memory are drawn to applied art.After a degree in fine arts, one can get into advertising, set designing or graphic designing,” he said.
Fine arts involve paintings, sculptures and portraits which depend on composition and imagination. “Fine arts offer options, but applied art has scope. Fine arts need consistent efforts for 10 years, making a name for oneself and getting recognition for one’s work,” Gawali said.
Applied art is dependent on industry requirements. “The industry will hire solely on the basis of work. Advertising will help you get in as a designer, you can set up your own studio. Software skills are necessary,” he added.
Students must be aware of the importance of thought behind every design, the art teacher said. “ They must be updated about the latest trends, literature, psychology, art, history and current affairs. There has to be more dialogue for awareness,” Gawali said.
Sanjay Bharati, acting principal of Abhinav Kala Kendra, said both branches are available at their college. “We have undergraduate courses on applied art and drawing and painting,” he added.
Applied art mostly deals with product design, Students can get into vehicle design, illustration, calligraphy, advertising, hoardings and many more such allied areas.
Sanket Kalgaonkar, an Abhinav Kala Kendra alumnus, is now an art director at McCann Worldgroup — a private advertising firm in Mumbai. “It was during a one-year foundation course that I realised I wanted to get into applied art,” he said.
He did his four-year course in commercial art from the Kendra. Originally from Baramati, Kalgaonkar said he was unaware of the commercial field. “ At Baramati, I was told I could become an art teacher as I was good at drawing. Once my teachers at Abhinav commended me on my graphics, I realised I wanted to get into commercial art,” he said.
The demand for applied art courses encouraged the MIT World Peace University (MIT WPU) to start a four-year bachelor’s programme. Makarand Malawe, director of the school of media and fine arts at MIT WPU, said the programme is not medium-specific.
“It incorporates methods on contemporary art production. There will be technical workshops to assist them to develop practical skills. The course will be research-based,” he added.
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