Art in General Education

Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati

‘General Education’, the new entrant in our curricula, has found a name and a habitation in the courses of study leading to the Three-Year B. A. Degree. Although the basic question–“How general should General Education be?”–still remains to be satisfactorily answered, there seems to be unanimity of opinion that Art must needs be one of its essential components. In the United States “Art is now a vital part of the curriculum”. The programme of studies at all levels has been broadened to include experiences in drawing, painting, sculpture and crafts.¹ In the S. V. University, one of the most resourceful, if one of the youngest of its kind in India, a course in Fine Arts is offered in the B. A. Degree (both General and Special). ²

If ‘General Education’ is introduced as a modest but effective measure to correct a certain academic imbalance in our educational system, its Art ingredient should be particularly welcome. With the new awareness of the responsibilities that universities must discharge in a free country, it has been realised that “steps had to be taken to integrate university education with the main streams of the cultural life of India”.³ We often talk with a tongue, glib and oily, about the glories of the Gupta Age, which are hardly conceivable without any idea of the Dharma-Chakra Buddha at Sarnath or the XVI Cave at Ajanta. And it is precisely these monuments of Indian achievement that, till now, our curricula left severely alone.

Specialisation is a blessed thing; it is, however, not blessed enough to cover the ignorance of the learned about the expression of man at his best in the realm of Fine Arts. Einstein desired that “the school should always have as its aim that the young man leave it as a harmonious personality, not as a specialist”.⁴ A lop-sided development of the human mind may largely explain the collapse of conscience that is writ large on our contemporary public life.

Stressing the need for a balanced growth of the pupil, the Radhakrishnan Commission observes: “In a well-planned educational system, opportunities will be provided, at every level, to the pupils for the exercise of their reflective powers, artistic abilities and practical work.” ⁵ In fact, to this end the Commission indicates the function of each one of the courses of study which it prescribes for the first university degree. Among them, “Arts like music and painting help to educate our emotions and impart a certain grace in living”.⁶ It will be remembered that the ancient Greeks put Music and Mathematics at the centre of their curriculum.

Culture, a rather elusive concept, expresses itself through language and art, through philosophy and religion, through social habits and customs, and through political institutions and economic organisations. As Prof. Humayun Kabir observes: “Not one of them is separately culture but collectively they constitute the expression of life which we describe as culture.” ⁷ If so, it is clear that a nodding acquaintance with fine arts is an indispensable element in culture. The ‘Nagaraka’ of Vatsayana is not merely a town-dweller but a man of culture, and among his ‘Lakshanas’ which the sage enumerates, is knowledge as well as practice of painting.

Although the term ‘General Education’ still covers an area bounded by uncertain and shifting frontiers, its aims have been stated in more or less precise terms. In the language of the First Study Team of experts “it seeks to restore transmission of culture as an essential function of the university, thus helping it to escape the consequences of producing civilised barbarians”.⁸ Again, according to the latest opinion, it serves “to bring to awareness, and transmit to the individual, the distinctive features of his great heritage of ideas, ideals, institutions and achievements”.⁹

A genuine attempt at the appreciation of works of art is sure to develop in the pupil a sense of proportion and harmony, of grace and delicacy, of design and beauty. It is not inconceivable that a mind that lovingly dwells on things of beauty, such as the Elgin Marbles, ultimately grows into the image of what it contemplates. Kalidasa illustrates his theory, “Akara Sadrsah Prajna”, through the words of Priyamvada that nothing but virtue imbues a body so handsome as that of Dushyanta. ¹⁰

The Expressive Arts

It is, of course, not the purpose of General Education, that has Art on its curriculum, to produce poets and painters; it would be enough if it enables the student not to feel that he is an utter stranger in a company where Art is the theme of discussion. At this juncture, it is perhaps in order, if the value of the study of a specific fine art, say Painting, is briefly re-stated. Painting is as old, chronologically speaking, as civilization; more than that, it is a faithful index of that civilization at every stage. It happens to be not merely the earliest but a constant and unfailing medium available to man to convey his meaning or message. Nothing can be more revealing, more fascinating, than a study of his progress from the Cro-Magnon drawings in the Montignac Cave in France, ¹¹ to the great fresco of ‘The Last Supper’ by Leonardo da Vinci. Further, it has been man’s ceaseless endeavour to concretise his vision, to reduce to a design of line, mass and colour his ideas too deep for words. Consider, for instance, how Rossetti at first enshrined his vision of the ‘Blessed Damozel’ in a poem of winged words, and later transfixed on canvas for eternity the self-same fleeting image. Moreover, by releasing the young mind from the thraldom of abstraction, the visual image renders invaluable service as a pedagogic aid. Finally, assessing the contribution of the painter to contemporary society, Jacques Villon says: “It is the artists, after all, who constitute a country’s spiritual wealth, who win for it sympathy and friendship, and perpetuate the memory of its glorious past.” ¹²

From Precept to Practice

The case for Art in General Education may be made out easily: it is, in fact, very much like pushing at an open door. However, in translating the idea into action lies all the difficulty, which might well reduce an incorrigible optimist in educational reform to the verge of despair. For purposes of experiment, the theory has to be rewritten in terms of curriculum, syllabus, equipment, staff and even techniques of teaching. Precisely in this realm of practice, unity in proposing a reform immediately gives way to diversity in policies and programmes. The following lines of procedure are suggested as the safest and the barest minimum which is not likely to invite any serious difference of opinion.

Arts are usually classified into fine and applied arts, presumably on the ground that the aesthetic element predominates in the former, and the utilitarian aspect in the latter. (It may incidentally be remembered that Croce holds that, since the arts have no aesthetic limits, “any attempt at an aesthetic classification of the arts is absurd”.) ¹³ Still, as the arts are, physically speaking, innumerable, any suggestion regarding their total and simultaneous introduction, in view of the prevailing acute shortage of resources, amounts to a counsel of perfection. Hence the choice of fine arts alone, however arbitrary, is enforced on us, tailoring our aspiration to suit our capacity. In the American institutions the term ‘fine arts’ seems to be limited to mean only painting, sculpture and architecture; special mention of music and drama as separate subjects is often made; while, curiously enough, no specific mention of dancing as such is ever made.¹⁴ (It may be noted in passing that Bharata Muni’s Natyasastratreats dramatic art (Natya) as a blend of both dancing and play-acting; but at present these two are regarded as distinct and separate arts.)¹⁵ The Bhagavantam Report recommends for Indian universities a course in fine arts under Humanities Section-C, restricting the scope of the subject to its American counterpart.¹⁸ Now, even after we limit the field of study to fine arts alone, the problem still remains whether all of them are to be introduced simultaneously or in a phased programme. The solution will be in favour of the first alternative, if it is based on an academic approach, and the second alternative if based on the resources position.

Content of Curriculum

A good beginning could be made by introducing in our collegiate curriculum two of the fine arts–music and painting–for the simple reason that they require the minimum equipment. But any observant educationist would have noticed that the allied arts of dancing and acting are by far the most popular with the student community. On this account they may be accorded priority; the only factor that might prove a deterrent to this procedure is the rather elaborate equipment that would be necessary; if not actual dance recitals or production of plays in the class-room, at least appropriate films have to be projected, taking advantage of the audio-visual education apparatus. Even in the case of music, this kind of difficulty is not altogether absent; but it could be overcome by a gramophone and a set of records, supplemented occasionally by demonstration by experts brought from outside. With regard to painting, all that is required is to assemble a sizeable gallery of prints of Old and Modern Masters and keep them in the form of a permanent exhibition in the lecture hall. More desirable results in teaching this subject could, of course, be obtained if slides of details of masterpieces are projected by means of an epidiascope.

Sculpture and architecture could be introduced in the late stages of this experiment. The suggestion, however, is to be understood not as a reflection upon their importance but simply as a recognition of the money costs and practical difficulties involved. In respect of these subjects, showing a few prints or photos of carvings and of monuments is only the beginning of teaching; it should be supplemented by an exhibition of three-dimensional models; indeed, the lesson is not to be regarded as complete unless and until the class is actually taken to the real work of art at the historical site and exposed to its full impact.

There is a strong argument against this kind of introducing the arts by stages, which merits serious consideration. Art is indivisible, in the sense that, while a piece of art may have parts, its appreciation has none. A line of action that detracts from the totality of impression stands condemned. Again, all arts are alike in their origin, springing out of creative joy, and also in their end-product, fructifying in things of beauty; they differ in means and modes of expression alone. For Michael Angelo, painting and sculpture were but alternative techniques; Tagore presumably took to painting when he found poetry inadequate to fulfil himself. Further, the works of art of an age reveal a family likeness, although no two of them are twins. The striking similarity that is to be found in the sculptured reliefs and panels of the Amaravathi Stupa and the contemporary frescoes in Cave X at Ajanta, are to be traced to the influence of identical canons and traditions of art.¹⁷ The same religiosity inspires a mediaeval illuminated manuscript and a Gothic cathedral. Therefore it might be in the interests of effective teaching of the subject if the fine arts are simultaneously introduced.

Technique of Teaching

Imparting General Education may be equated with training in world citizenship, characterised by a cosmopolitan and universal outlook. In my opinion, one fairly effective way in which this consummation, devoutly wished for, can be achieved, consists in arranging the content ofthe lessons as a sort of random harvest; the golden ages of all civilizations must compulsorily find a place in the syllabus; for instance, a lesson on graphic art should encompass a Chinese screen, a Moghul miniature, a page of Persian calligraphy, an Egyptian hieroglyph, a Greek vase design, an Ajanta fresco, a portrait of Rembrandt, a Pompiian wall decoration, and an Altmira cave-drawing,–all drawn from the ends of space and time. Such eclecticism is a safeguard against the type of orthodoxy that found true art, till the end of the nineteenth century, only west of the Suez canal. It required nothing short of a revolution in aesthetic evaluation in order to rediscover that the so-called Indian ‘barbarities’ are fundamentally illustrations of what Prof. Roger Fry calls the ‘form significant’, and in which intuition and ‘expression’ obtain identity, as Croce would put it.¹⁸ In the General Education art class the ‘ism’ and the ‘school’ ought to be the aversion of the teacher; in fact, his work should be guided by the well-known dictum of Goethe that Art is only good or bad, it is neither West nor East.

Only the essential strands that form the pattern of a syllabus in regard to the subject of Art can be suggested here. Whatever else it may or may not contain, the syllabus should not fail to include

(i)                  a course of lessons, in broad outline, of the history of the arts selected; and
(ii)                a course of lessons in appreciation of the nature and products of each one of these arts.

Yale and Harvard universities, among others, in U.S.A., offer courses in art history; while nearly all American colleges provide for courses in art appreciation.¹⁹

Whether a third section on tools and techniques is to be included in the syllabus or not, is a debatable point. Some knowledge of the craftsmanship of the artist, and of the discipline imposed on him by the nature of the material he handles, would certainly help in assessing the value of a work of art and getting at the heart of its creator. Unless we learn something about the ‘rock-cut’, as different from the ‘structural’, process of building, we will hardly be able to understand the marvel of the cave temple at Elephanta called by Havell the Parthenon of the East. What poor compliment would we be paying to the drawings of Durer if we remain totally ignorant of the exquisite process of dry-pointing or etching? Nevertheless, it must be remembered that technique can easily be the pitfall of the teacher. Owing to misguided enthusiasm, if he expatiates on the brush work of Van Gough and overlooks the spiritual agony of that Modern Master, he passes quietly from ‘General’ to ‘Special’ education. So the decision must be left to the discretion of the teacher.

The Art-centred Lesson

I suggest that the art lesson should proceed from, and revolve around, a specific work of art. The direction of teaching is to be from the example to the thesis. It is more desirable that clearly defined and indelible impressions of a few select master-pieces of the world are left permanently stamped on the student’s mind, rather than that a mass of nebulous theory, a catalogue of names, and a kaleidoscope of images is deposited in it. For instance, a lesson in music would be truly educative if it were to centre round such outstanding illustrations as one of the Pancha Ratnas of Thyagaraja, a sonata of Beethoven, an opera of Wagner, a devotional song of Mira Bai, a piece of Sama Veda, a chorus of gypsies, and even a simple air of pastoral folk.

I further suggest that teaching in this context should consist in revealing the meaning and message of the artist and his work. For example, it should be easily possible to convey the message of G. F. Watts’ famous painting ‘Hope’–that hope, often blind to adverse facts, tends to hang on by a single thread. However, difficulties are bound to arise when the meaning of the artist can hardly be separated from the mode of expression. For instance, in the case of the well-known statue of ‘The Thinker’ by Rodin, the rough and bold chiselling of the surface is an index of the rugged shape of ideas in their formative stage, and the muscular robustness of the body indicates the vigour of thinking. Every artist has his own ‘language’, in which he conveys his meaning, and this language is none other than the ‘technique’ of expression. Still another problem which confronts the teacher of art, is that in respect of certain modern schools of painting and sculpture, which pursue art for art’s sake, ‘expression’ is an end in itself; a painting has no ‘story’ to tell, no ‘message’ to convey; for it is simply a play in patterns of line and colour, an exercise in formal relationships. Here, theory and practice, meaning and expression, are all intertwined. Therefore, unless some idea of all of them is given to the class, justice can hardly be done to the subject.

Despite these difficulties inherent in the situation, the purpose of General Education would be served so long as the basic principle, that the lesson is to be art-centred, is scrupulously followed. The student is to be exposed to ‘art experience’. “The aim should be to see that he has fed his soul not only upon great books, but also upon great pictures and great music.” ²⁰ And during such a process, gently and by degrees, mostly unawares, the mystery and magic of art should steal over the student through a myriad, subtle, subterranean channels; Beauty has to cast its spell over him and possess him. “All art depends on experience, and if one is to know art he must know it not as fact or information but as experience.” ²¹ Consequently, the student should be helped to live in a climate of art, and to contemplate its finest manifestations at first hand. That is how he would learn to see Life as he sees Art.

¹ The Encyclopaedia Americana, Edn. 1959. Vol. IX. Page 649.
² Proceedings of the Academic Council, dated 24th February, 1958. Branch X, Syllabi to be prescribed later, Pages 106 and 133.
³ “University Education in India”, Government of India, publications Division, Page 15.
⁴ Statement quoted by the University Education Commission Report, 1948-49, Vol. I. Page 120.
^{5 & 6} Ibid, Page 40.
⁷ “The Indian Heritage” by Humayun Kabir, November, 1955. Edn. Page 44.
⁸ “General Education”, Report of the Study Team, 1957. Ministry of Education, Government of India. Page 13.
⁹ Report of the Third Indian Team, as stated at the Faculty Conference on General Education, S. V. University, October 7, 1958.
¹⁰ ‘Sakuntala’ of Kalidasa, Act IV.
¹¹ Discovered in 1940; reproduced in Life Magazine, International Edition; said to belong to the period 26,000 to 12,000 B. C.
¹² Report of UNESCO on “The Artist in Modern Society”, 1954. Page 106.
¹³ “Aesthetic” by Benedetto Croce, 1955.Page 114.
¹⁴ “General Education” Report of the Study Team, Ministry of Education 1957, Government of India. Pages 33 to 52.
¹⁵ “The Natyasastra” of Bharatha Muni, translated by Manomohan Ghosh, 1950. Pages 8 and 48.
¹⁶ “General Education”, Report of the Study Team. Pages 77 & 79.
¹⁷ Vide: my article on ‘Painting in Andhra’, Telugu Encyclopedia, Cultural Volume, Telugu Bhasha Samithi, 1959.
¹⁸ ‘Aesthetic’ by Benedetto Croce, 1955. Page 8; and “Vision and Design” by Roger Fry, Pelican Books, 1937. Page 238.
¹⁹ ‘General Education’, Report of the Study Team, 1957. Pages 37 and 40.
²⁰ ‘General Education’, Report of the Study Team, 1957. Page 77.
²¹ ‘The Humanities’ by Louise Dudley & Austin Faricy, 1951. Page 4.