Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts
Encyclopedia
Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts is a visual art school in Mysore.
The Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts (CAVA), is situated in the city of Mysore, in the state of Karnataka in India. The academy is affiliated to the University of Mysore
, and offers courses in drawing, painting, sculpture, graphics, applied arts, photography and photo-journalism and art history. CAVA awards degrees in Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
and Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
.
of Mysore Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV in 1906 as the Chamarajendra Technical Institute. The foundation stone of this building, dedicated to Maharaja Chamarajendra Wodeyar
, was laid by George V of the United Kingdom
. It was built at a cost of Rs. 2.5 lakhs, and completed in 1913. It is an eloborately composed structure which runs along the road. It has a rectangular facade
, which is composed of pediment
ed dormer
s and gables
. The institute is located close to the city's railway station, on Sayyaji Rao road, which is currently a busy road with several commercial establishments.
Under Independent India, in 1981 the Karnataka state government renamed the Chamarajendra Technical Institute as CAVA. Following the suggestions of a committee headed by the prominent Russian painter, Svetoslav Roerich
, CAVA was established on the lines of the J.J. School of Arts in Mumbai
. University of Mysore provided affiliation for the courses offered at CAVA, while CAVA itself was under the administration of the Department of Kannada and Culture. In 2003, the Minister of State for Kannada and Culture, requested the University of Mysore, to take over and completely integrate CAVA. In September 2004, there was opposition from students, who felt that CAVA would have lesser funds if displaced from its semi-autonomous administration under the Department of Kannada and Culture.
festivities.
The Chamarajendra Technical Institute building complex is vast. It is considered to be one of the heritage buildings of Mysore, possessing neoclassical features. It shows the period architecture that evolved in Mysore under the patronage of the erstwhile Wodeyar
dynasty. Today it houses the Mysore Central Library, Chamarajendra Academy for Visual Arts (CAVA) and the Kitchen Stable in Mounted Horse Company. The Chamarajendra Technical Institute building is also colocated with the Cauvery Arts & Crafts Emporium, which is an all the year exhibition of local handicrafts available for purchase. By end of 2005, the walls of these buildings had deteriorated and had developed cracks. In April 2006, The City Development Plan for Mysore, under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), Annexure 5, estimated Rs 160 lakhs for its cost of repair.
The college website provides information about the programs offered, facilities and faculty.
is preserved at CAVA. The craft was slowly starting to fade away by the start of the century. However, in 1913, the art form had a revival when Alderson, the then superintendent of the Chamarajendra Technical Institute experimented with introducing ivory in wood inlay works. Later a noted sculptor and wood-carver, Parameshwara, introduced mythological and Persian motifs
.
The Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts (CAVA), is situated in the city of Mysore, in the state of Karnataka in India. The academy is affiliated to the University of Mysore
University of Mysore
The University of Mysore , is a public university in India. The University founded during the reign of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, the Maharaja of Mysore, and was conceptualized on the basis of a report on educational progress in the United States and Australia, submitted by Messrs Thomas Denham and...
, and offers courses in drawing, painting, sculpture, graphics, applied arts, photography and photo-journalism and art history. CAVA awards degrees in Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
and Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
.
History
CAVA was originally started by the MaharajaMaharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
of Mysore Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV in 1906 as the Chamarajendra Technical Institute. The foundation stone of this building, dedicated to Maharaja Chamarajendra Wodeyar
Chamaraja Wodeyar
Chamaraja Wadiyar X was the ruling Maharaja of Mysore between 1881 and 1894.-Adoption and accession:Chamaraja was born at the old palace in Mysore on February 22, 1863, as the third son of Sardar Chikka Krishnaraj Urs, of the Bettada-Kote branch of the ruling clan. His father died about a week...
, was laid by George V of the United Kingdom
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
. It was built at a cost of Rs. 2.5 lakhs, and completed in 1913. It is an eloborately composed structure which runs along the road. It has a rectangular facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
, which is composed of pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
ed dormer
Dormer
A dormer is a structural element of a building that protrudes from the plane of a sloping roof surface. Dormers are used, either in original construction or as later additions, to create usable space in the roof of a building by adding headroom and usually also by enabling addition of windows.Often...
s and gables
Gables
Gables may refer to:* Gables, portion of walls between the lines of sloping roofs* Ken Gables , Major League Baseball pitcher* Gables, Nebraska, an unincorporated community in the United States...
. The institute is located close to the city's railway station, on Sayyaji Rao road, which is currently a busy road with several commercial establishments.
Under Independent India, in 1981 the Karnataka state government renamed the Chamarajendra Technical Institute as CAVA. Following the suggestions of a committee headed by the prominent Russian painter, Svetoslav Roerich
Svetoslav Roerich
Svetoslav Nikolaevich Roerich Russian painter, son of Nicholas Roerich, studied from a young age under his father's tutelage. He studied architecture in England in 1919 and entered Columbia University's school of architecture in 1920...
, CAVA was established on the lines of the J.J. School of Arts in Mumbai
Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art
Sir J. J. Institute of Applied Art is an Indian applied art institution based in Mumbai. It is a state government college that was created through its sister school, the Sir J. J. School of Art. The "Sir J. J." in the name stands for Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy, a Parsi philanthropist whose name is...
. University of Mysore provided affiliation for the courses offered at CAVA, while CAVA itself was under the administration of the Department of Kannada and Culture. In 2003, the Minister of State for Kannada and Culture, requested the University of Mysore, to take over and completely integrate CAVA. In September 2004, there was opposition from students, who felt that CAVA would have lesser funds if displaced from its semi-autonomous administration under the Department of Kannada and Culture.
Present
CAVA offers a five year course in several different disciplines leading to a BFA degree. The disciplines include painting, graphics, sculpture, applied art, photography and photo-journalism and history of art. Commencing from the academic year 2002-03, CAVA offers post-graduate MFA courses in painting, graphics and sculpture. Admission to the post-graduate courses is based on an eligibility test, and only those who have completed a BFA are eligible to take the test. CAVA organizes tours, seminars, and exhibitions of works executed by its students and leading artists. Student art works are also exhibitted during DasaraMysore Dasara
Mysore Dasara is the Nadahabba of the state of Karnataka. It is also called Navaratri and is a 10-day festival with the last day being Vijayadashami, the most auspicious day of Dasara. Dasara usually falls in the month of September or October...
festivities.
The Chamarajendra Technical Institute building complex is vast. It is considered to be one of the heritage buildings of Mysore, possessing neoclassical features. It shows the period architecture that evolved in Mysore under the patronage of the erstwhile Wodeyar
Wodeyar
The Wodeyar dynasty was an Indian royal dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Mysore from 1399 to 1947, until the independence of India from British rule and the subsequent unification of the Indian dominion and princely states into the Republic of India.The spelling Wodeyar/Wadiyar is found in most...
dynasty. Today it houses the Mysore Central Library, Chamarajendra Academy for Visual Arts (CAVA) and the Kitchen Stable in Mounted Horse Company. The Chamarajendra Technical Institute building is also colocated with the Cauvery Arts & Crafts Emporium, which is an all the year exhibition of local handicrafts available for purchase. By end of 2005, the walls of these buildings had deteriorated and had developed cracks. In April 2006, The City Development Plan for Mysore, under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), Annexure 5, estimated Rs 160 lakhs for its cost of repair.
The college website provides information about the programs offered, facilities and faculty.
Other details
A unique art tradition on wood inlayInlay
Inlay is a decorative technique of inserting pieces of contrasting, often coloured materials into depressions in a base object to form patterns or pictures that normally are flush with the matrix. In a wood matrix, inlays commonly use wood veneers, but other materials like shells, mother-of-pearl,...
is preserved at CAVA. The craft was slowly starting to fade away by the start of the century. However, in 1913, the art form had a revival when Alderson, the then superintendent of the Chamarajendra Technical Institute experimented with introducing ivory in wood inlay works. Later a noted sculptor and wood-carver, Parameshwara, introduced mythological and Persian motifs
Motif (art)
In art, a motif is an element of a pattern, an image or part of one, or a theme. A motif may be repeated in a design or composition, often many times, or may just occur once in a work. A motif may be an element in the iconography of a particular subject or type of subject that is seen in other...
.
Notable alumni
- B. V. K. SastryB. V. K. SastryB.V.K. Shastry was an Indian writer and music critic.Bangalore Venkatasubbiah Krishna Sastry was born in Nanjangud in the State of Karnataka on 30 July 1916. He got his diploma in painting in Chamarajendra Technical Institute in 1938...
, writer and music critic, completed diploma in painting in 1938 - M.S. Nanjunda Rao,Founder Secretary of the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat, completed diploma in painting in 1952