Speaking without words - Animation Xpress.com

Sekhar Mukherjee, head of the animation division at the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, lead the audience into the world of comic art. Aptly introducing comic art as "the mad art that speaks without words", he sashayed through the various stages image art has progressed and digressed. Starting with some British work on how the world is progressing and yet moving closer to its own destruction, he brought out the strength of this art form to deal with serious issues; its comical approach attracting one's attention stronger than a serious narrative.

Sekhar started off with the history of visual arts which goes back to the time when art was a means of recording the lifestyle of civilizations, through cave paintings. Or for documenting wars in cloth scrolls. In 1630, a French caricature artist Philipo drew the metamorphosis of the then king's face into a pear. When summoned by a fuming king demanding an explanation, the honest artist replied he did it because His Majesty's face did resemble a pear! Though obviously the fate of the artist wasn't as funny, it is clear that comic art as been used as a refuge for all those who want to protest against authority, hence earning it the name 'Low Art'.

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Sekhar went through the various strains of the same parent art produced by different countries. While Belgian TinTin was a hit, the French Asterix's too was equally popular. The 20th century was the Golden Era of American comics as a lot of European artists who had survived the Holocaust and had fled to America, lived out their lost lives by creating a lot of superheroes. It was MAD artist Don Martin who introduced the "POW, KABOOM and THUDDD" in comic art. The addition of sound effects changed the complete face of comic art, by giving the reader a better feel of the action. With time, there have been plenty of driven artists, who have given this art form a face lift. Art Spiegelman famous for his historic sketch of the Holocaust story Mouse won a Pulitzer Prize for the same in 1993, giving this Low Art its due recognition! Will Eisner also known as the Father of Graphic Novel, painted the common man's hero in his work Spirit. He introduced the Comic vocabulary: panels, panel frames, bleed, splash page, speech balloon, gutter, speed lines, end notes.

Comics are a personal art. As it is the extension of an artist's own vision, it might not be read and cherished by all alike. It is more of a parallel culture that can assimilate as much as the artist can give. It is a medium that has the strength of the images and text, and by summarizing the whole point in a single frame it delivers a stronger punch to the reader. This is an advantage that the static medium has over motion picture.

India, due to its resistance to discussing socio political or adult content openly, might be losing out on the comic revolution that's sweeping the world in terms of varied content. Wide-ranging comics being easily available over the net, enthusiasts might be losing interest in the Indian Amar Chitra Katha and Chacha Chowdhary style of comics. But comics like Sadhu, Devi, etc. are grabbing eyeballs with their graphic novel style of depiction.

Sekhar wrapped up by inviting young enthusiasts to the unrestrained world of comic art, for which no one needs any permission, just some madness and ideas close to one's heart. Panels and layouts will only better with trial and error!

Excerpts from the Q&A:

Don't you feel there is a stereotype in our country that comics are mainly for children, especially in contrast with Japan which has adults consuming adult comics?
They have a different mindset; nudity over there is not considered as pornography. It has to do with our social fabric which develops wear and tear when approached with an adult topic in the form of art.

How different is storytelling in comics as opposed to animation?
Animation is a physically moving media while comics can give you a sense of motion by what has passed from one frame to the other. Also, animation is viewed by a lot of people at one time, while comics are more personal as an experience at a particular time. Hence, both have their own style and strengths.

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