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Many painters lost their jobs and had to change careers.
Local artist Saravanan's passion for painting began during his school days.
About 20 years ago, artists used to create advertising banners by hand-painting realistic patterns on hadabs, a method similar to contemporary machine-printed plush banners. However, with the advent of modern advertising technology, many painters lost their jobs and had to change careers.
The Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association is planning to organize an art night program at Rameswaram in Ramanathapuram district where Madurai artist Saravanan is making advertising hoardings using traditional Gada cloth.
Local artist Saravanan's passion for painting began during his school days. Although he failed the 10th Standard General Examination, he worked in an iron lathe workshop and also took up painting part-time. He joined the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writer-Artist Sangam in Tiruparangkundram and gained recognition at the Arts and Literature Night in Tiruvannamalai in 1992, where he portrayed of jackal holding a baby on a hadab captivated the attendees. This experience led him to seek formal training under artist Tiruvannamalai Pallavan.
Today, with the rise of digital banner printing, traditional salamander and gada paintings are almost extinct. Despite these changes, hand-painted banners still hold a special place, especially at events such as Arts and Literature Nights.
As times changed, many painters adapted to new flag-adding techniques. However, this shift has raised concerns about the livelihoods of less affluent painters. In Madurai alone, about 500 painters have switched to other jobs such as driving cars or doing construction work.
“I traveled around Tamil Nadu and stayed in various districts, staying for a week or ten days at a time, making banners for local events. Apart from this, I kept making ends meet by painting in school and at home. I believe it is crucial to revive the art of painting and ensure the protection and support of artists in the future,” Saravanan said.
People are also concerned that artificial intelligence replacing artists is now a scary reality. This threat to jobs is something many artists have warned about, and now there's evidence that some studios are preparing to use artificial intelligence tools to replace experienced artists.
