Political Influences On An Individual's Craftsmanship

    An artist's craft has always evolved and it continues to do so, with respect to the kind of social conditions, tastes, and needs it encounters. One of the dramatic evolutions in one's craftsmanship happens on account of authoritative political influences.

    In V. Geetha et al. 's "The 9 Emotions of Indian Cinema Hoardings" (Chapter: 'A Definite History'), there is a brief historical recount of how politics - in particular - became an agent of influence on the hoardings art in Tamil Nadu, during the 1950s. According to the text, Dravidian Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) - a dominant political party in the Tamilian community of that time - was the key player in transforming the public performative arena of the stage into a spectacular political oratory. It established a unique mode of public address that equally relied on artistic allure and political relevance. This nudged film actors to participate in politically scripted films by looking into the camera and mouthing lines that addressed and harangued the public. Consequently, it demanded hoarding artists to deliberately design hoardings of bold, graphic lines, close-ups of faces (showing earnestness of feeling), etc., which defined political hoardings. This gradually led to the emergence of a 'star' culture in India Cinema in the 1960s, with the stars possessing political identities. Thus, hoarding craftsmen had to constantly innovate their craft, producing novelties that would transcend the contentious public space. This resulted in one of the major innovations in hoarding art: the vertical 'cut-outs' (a giant vertical image of the star rising into the air). However, the hoarding artists had to negotiate or rather compromise on their craft's historicity as they prioritized making hoardings representing the melodramatic power of the star, instead of the magical charm of the screen which characterized their artistic richness. Such is an example of how political factors influence an artist's individual craftmanship.