One luxury product that has stood the test of time, and is considered an object of desire by the elite brigade, is a portrait. Often, topmost artists are assigned the task of creating a commissioned portrait that is, displayed on the walls of celeb living-rooms.
It is a known fact that the emperors who ruled India through centuries, used to commission the finest artists to paint their portraits; these portraits are now displayed in the best museums across the world. Maybe that is the reason that commissioned portraits hold such high value in a world of two-minute photographs.
Artist Sanjay Bhattacharya has made portraits for who can arguably be called the royals in a democracy — Presidents of India, Shankar Dayal Sharma and K.R. Naraynan. He feels that there are very few artists in the world who can create good portraits and that is why they are in high demand.
“Initially, when I was approached by the President’s office to do a portrait, I was excited that I was doing a portrait for the first citizen of the country. I did one in 1996 and the other in 2002 for Rs 5-6 lakh, but today I will charge Rs 40 lakhs for a life-sized portrait. For me, a portrait is more expensive than a painting because it’s a commissioned work. That means the client is the one who selects the composition, and there are times when I like one composition but I have to go with the other as requested by the client,” shares Sanjay.
The Portret Project, a niche concept recently started and conceptualised by Sakhshi Mahajan, explores portraiture as an art form. Their portraits cost upto Rs 7 lakh based on the artist who makes it, the size of the portrait and the medium used.
Talking about the uniqueness that portraits possess, Sakshi says, “The artist’s experience and technique makes for a very valuable portrait. In today’s day and age a mere likeness is not enough; there must be an element of surprise, so the artist has to use his imagination and sense of intuition to draw out the inner personality of his subject.”
Artist Anjana Kuthiala has created portraits for many famous personalities including the royal Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur, Shah Rukh Khan, Hema Malini, Shobha De, Dimple Kapadia, Sheetal Ansal and Priya Kataria Puri.
“I do it only if I really want to paint that person. There are times when I have approached a personality with this request and in turn they have commissioned it. There has to be a certain connection that I need to feel with these celebrities. When it comes to a portrait, I can confidently say that it’s a work of art created with meaning and passion. It’s an interpretation of a personality that is many times more interesting and powerful than a photograph. You can have the best of the photographs by the best photographers of the world, but they cannot convey what a portrait can,” says Anjana.
Though there can’t be a fixed price bracket for a painting, Anjana says that a portrait by a good artist may cost anything between Rs 3-10 lakhs, or more, based on the size of the portrait, the time required and the number of people in the portrait.
“Not too many people in the world can paint a portrait and not everybody can afford it. Only those who are very rich and those who think differently are the ones who can commission one. So it becomes a prized possession. Also, it’s a legacy to leave behind for your children,” says Anjana.
