At a Vincent van Gogh immersive in London recently, I experienced a haunting rendition of the artist's life—his struggles with sight, mental health and companionship were referenced in the exhibition space alongside his works. The room, created with four fabric walls that served as the canvas for the showcase, lit up with the imagery of one iconic artwork after another. The Sunflowers series burst to life on the canvas; the colours danced across the walls to slowly reveal the relative stillness of the Bedroom in Arles. Suddenly, the same tints and hues morphed to present the Café Terrace At Night. Next came his many self-portraits, which began to distort and then transform into Starry Night Over The Rhône, followed by the inimitable Starry Night.
As the poignant cypress tree swayed across the canvas, I heard the Dutch woman seated beside me begin to sob softly. She accepted my silent offer of a paper napkin before she said in her stilted English: "Even though his works are evocative and highly collectable, I cannot imagine seeing his art every day; I'd rather live with something soothing like a Monet or a street scene by Caravaggio." In that single sentence, she expressed the truth so simply, one that is reinforced by every interior designer and art aficionado's belief: "If you're bringing an artwork into your home, you've got to like it!"
Buying art for your home shouldn't be about resale value
Art will add several layers and depths to your home
Whether you're simply looking to decorate or whether it's about adding to your collection, the most important factor when choosing a piece is that you'd want to see it every day, to live with it. Interior designer Supraja Rao, also the owner of Kadari Art Gallery in Hyderabad, shares, "The work should 'speak' to you, resonate with you. Whether you're inclined towards one that's a landscape or cityscape, abstract or figurative, it has to suit you."
Bengaluru-based designer Farah Ahmed Mathias of FADD Studio agrees. She adds that buying art for your home shouldn't be about resale value: "Don't look at the price and value, instead see whether it's something you relate to and love because there are many facets to art. You can't think of buying a work as a transaction; you should think of it as you would for a life partner; you should want to live with it. In my own home, the least expensive artwork is the one that is most discussed among my guests!" In complete agreement is Aditya Mehta, founder CEO of Art & Found, a curated platform that has made art accessible for artists. His advice is to, "choose what makes you pause, what makes you think, question or reminisce."
Art increases serotonin levels, the hormone responsible for feeling happy, focused and calm
Creating art releases dopamine, the king of happy hormones
Choose artworks that you want to see it every day
Art that you can price regardless of price and value—is what you need to place in your home
Several functional aspects come into play when curating art for the home. Mathias pinpoints, "The selection can be an intense process, and that's where interior specialists with a good eye can help." Both Mathias and Rao agree that, "a designer can help identify the form, medium, genre, colours, context, scale, size and impact required for any room configuration."
Meanwhile, Delhi-based creative Iram Sultan avers that balancing art in interiors can be a complex endeavour but simplified with a straightforward approach. "Essentially, it depends on two factors. One, what do the homeowners respond to, and two, are both young and established artists being represented. I always want to bring joy to the spaces I design, and that happens only when one chooses those pieces that speak to the heart."
When it comes to practical considerations, Mumbai-based designer Ravi Vazirani says that art curation is an integral part of the design process for any home. He reveals, "I don't really layer homes with many surfaces, so art is really what ties the whole space together. This is why I'm very careful about how the piece is installed and displayed, how it lends itself to the space and its scale."
Mehta says, "Apart from its increasing aesthetic value, art is finally being acknowledged for its power to create awareness, build positivity, bring people together, drive movement and amplify change. A lot of it can be attributed to the collective efforts of artists, designers, curators, gallerists and brands during the pandemic." Rao adds, "Art is going to add layers and depths to Indian homes, in more sincere ways than just being a status symbol." Vazirani, on the other hand, says, "Engaging with art expands creative horizons, even if you're taking a decorative approach to art."
And so it does! Studies and scholarly papers reveal that delving into art increases serotonin levels, the hormone responsible for feeling happy, focused and calm (stabilising moods, regulating our feelings of wellbeing and happiness against anxiety, and helping us sleep better). There's little point in denying the scarcity of creative stimulation after the sheer number of uninterrupted hours, days, and months we've spent at home. So, another good exercise for bringing art into your home would be to indulge in creating art yourself, which releases dopamine, the king of happy hormones.