Lesson learned as an art teacher
When I was in my first year of Fine arts at the University of Chittagong, in “South Nalapara” an art school called “Pritee Ankalay” I started working as a teacher. On the second or third day a girl asked me to make a sketch for her school work. I spent a whole two hours of art class finishing a slightly larger sketch of A3 size.
The girl is also very happy. The founder or head of the school called me and thanked me and than said:
“As an elder brother of fine arts, I give you some advice. Do not ever do any work of art for free! take at least two rupees. If you give it for free, you will the cause of financial loss not only your but also to the other artists.”
At that time I did not understand the value of his words, what can be done if any relatives and friend ask you to a have a work of you as a gift !!
And I’m so shy to go to ask for the price!
A visit that changes perspective
However, I realized the value of his words after many days. Once I went to visit a relative’s house to meet someone sick with my mother. We were allowed to sit in the living room. Before the people of the house come, I was staring at the old books on the shelf.
Suddenly my eyes caught to a dilapidated painting on the wall. On the side, the frame is a bit broken but the type of work seems very familiar to me. I approached and tried to find the artist’s signature, and I found it, along with some children’s scratch with pens.
I was sadder than I should be happier to see a painting of one of my respected teacher. First of all; The thought that comes to my mind is that they must have received this painting as a gift or for free. Otherwise, such a beautiful painting and the work of a good artist cannot be neglected. I found out later that my idea is correct. Somehow they are relatives of my teacher.
Lack of recognition of art
In our country, especially in Chittagong, people have very little idea about art. Some people think Fine arts study is limited to being able to draw posters or draw flower vines. Another teacher of mine said, once one of his colleague of the university said: You can start an art (poster, banner) shop.
What else can I say about ordinary people where someone at the university level has such an idea !! And some people think that art students spend money by smoking cannabis and drinking alcohol. Friend friendly to other departments says, you don’t need a private tutor every month, you don’t have to buy lots of books and photocopy notes. And you earn a lot of money by doing tuition once or twice a week.
No one knows a few yards of canvas cloth and a few kilos of kerosene wood to buy a little cheaper an Art student has to go where to where, how high is the market price of some varieties of oil and brushes.
No one knows there are how many different types of pencils are available in the store. Buying two or three small canvases a whole month Tuition’s money is gone. No one sees the sigh of coming back to buy Maris oil color instead of the oil color of Camel. It’s also unknown to everyone how many sleepless nights are spent to express the thought in the art work.
And the biggest thing is to be a little thankful. Many peoples try to find a fault,
“If it were like that”; “Draw all the nonsense without painting the village scene”; “The portraits do not match”; How much more !!!
Lack of respect for art and artists
Again, many refuse to pay the price due to one person after getting it for free.
Many people joke that “If there is no financial crisis, it is not possible to become an artist !! A man creates one of his art work with a combination of talent, labor and love. The minimum of both art and artist demands respect.
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