Shillong,Feb 21: Martin Luther Christian University organised an Art Appreciation Week from 18thFebruary 2019 to 21st February 2019. A total of 270 undergraduate students attended this seminar that included sessions on Plein Air Painting, Cyanotype process of historical photography, Installation Art and Portrait Painting.
The resource persons for these seminars were Careen J. Langstieh, a renowned freelance painter who gave a demonstration on Portrait Painting and who also used the students themselves as models for her portraits, Mr. Conrad Syiem, a writer, documentary filmmaker and photographer who demonstrated on the cyanotype process and even let the students try their hands at developing photographs, Mr Rangskhembor Mawblei, a Master of Fine Arts graduate from Visva-Bharati in West Bengal who demonstrated on Installation Arts and Mr. Casper Syiem who demonstrated on Plein Air Painting.
The event culminated with an art exhibition on 21st Fenruary 2019 wherein various exquisite and innovative works of art were exhibited. These included works like Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Van Gogh’s and Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn’s self portraits, Jacques Louis’ Le Sacre de Napolean, Claude Monet’s Adolphe Monet Reading in the Garden. Besides these, works of the students of the various departments of the University were also showcased.
However, the main attraction of the exhibition was the artworks of the resource persons which included portraiture paintings by Mrs. Careen J. Langstieh, a demonstration of the cyanotype process of historic photographic printing by Mr. Conrad Syiem, a demonstration on Installation Art titled A Space Within A Space by Rangskhemdor Mawblei and the Plein Air paintings by Casper Syiem.
The students expressed their enthusiasm on having been able to be a part of this seminar. They held that the seminar had helped them learn to appreciate themselves and others more in that whatever they learned in this seminar could be utilised not only in their academics but even in their everyday life. They also expressed their gratitude to the University for getting this kind of an opportunity of exposure that took them out of the confines of the classroom and making them acquainted with the different fields thus helping them make a more informed decision of a career avenue that they can venture on in the future.
Speaking to the correspondent, Careen J. Langstieh, one of the resource persons of the seminar was greatly appreciative of the efforts of Martin Luther Christian University in organising a platform of this sort which, according to her, gave her a space that she does not find elsewhere. However, Careen also acknowledged that art in North East at the moment is traversing through rough terrain in that the North East unfortunately does not have a proper platform for art and budding artists and they have to make do with inadequate amenities and that even the government is not doing anything to encourage and aid upcoming artists.
She however said that inspite of this, North East has some of the best artists who are making a name for themselves outside the region and is hopeful that there will be many others who will follow in their footsteps by overcoming the various hindrances and achieve their goals by sheer focus, hardwork and dedication allowing their passion to be the force that drives them to their goals.
Conrad Syiem, another resource person said that the requirement for every artist is to have an open, inquisitive mind that loves to question and explore and allow himself the liberty of interpreting and recreating all he observes with his imagination and creativity
Rangskhem Mawblei also expressed hope in the fact that there are many budding artists in the North Eastern region but acknowledged that the artists lack infrastructural facilities like a proper art gallery to showcase their art. He further said that the love of art should be nurtured through a long term period by means of specialised art institutions.
