The Second ChotaMota Art Program come to an end! We send our love and gratitude to all our participants. We bring to you the Award winning entries of the Second ChotaMota Art Program. These entries stood out as visionary (TrailBlazer), imaginative (DreamSpinner), skillful (MasterCrafter) and promising (BuddingWeaver – for years 15-17 only). Congratulations!
Results of the Second ChotaMota Art Program March 2016:

Results of the Art Categories”Cartoon & Caricature“, “Short Films”,  and “Photography” of the ChotaMota Art Program II 2016:

Cartoons and caricatures


TRAILBLAZER
DREAMSPINNER Arpan Bhattacharyya

Arnab Nag

MASTERCRAFTER Syamantak Chattopadhya

Ujjayini Mitra

Afrin Iqbal

Abhishek Durani

Kunal Naskar

BUDDING WEAVER  Sagnik Banerjee

TRAILBLAZER AWARD



DREAMSPINNER AWARD


Imagine BY Arpan Bhattacharyya
The message of this piece sits right on the edge of geopolitics and propaganda and yet it transcends both to show us a core truth. We are all human – life is greater than material; organic is greater than inorganic. We need to coalesce as a species to rediscover our human values. All of this wonderful messaging is illustrated with beautifully simple graphic lines. There is clarity and vision; both qualities which need to be heavily fostered in this age of misinformation and misdirection. –Jury


Self Caricature BY Arnab Nag
An excellent portrayal of the whimsical mind willing to see the beauty in the most common subject. The contrast of the beautifully rendered human to the flat silhouette of what appears to be a cartoon bird fleshes out a bizarre story. Perhaps things don’t appear as they seem; perhaps the bird doesn’t even exist and it is an artist’s mind that manifests the beauty; perhaps all life is a dream and we can only document the anecdotal evidence. All in all, this caricature portrays persistence. The stubborn persistence of an artist to travel great distances to capture manifestations of both the real and unreal kind. –Jury


MASTERCRAFTER AWARD


Satyajit Ray BY Syamantak Chattopadhyay
This caricature not only captures Satyajit Ray but also brings his message of futurism to life. As a visionary who was far ahead of his time he is pointing forward to the future he wished to manifest for millions to enjoy. This gesture is a monument of his clairvoyant efforts; not so dissimilar from a magician’s wand wave. –Jury


Life in IT Jobs BY Ujjayini Mitra
Everything on the page reads as the story of millions. The world operating like depressed clockwork; driven like a slave only to return to a dreamless slumber ad nauseam.
The narrative isn’t necessarily special but the shorthand of facial expressions tells the real story. A tragedy of millions encapsulated in 4 short frames – it is a reflection of our current generation. – Jury


Tesla BY Afrin Iqba

Wonderful romanticism of an unsung hero. Tesla never got the attention he deserved during his lifetime but his lore lives on in art like this. A true superhero that stole fire from the gods. –Jury


Untitled BY Kunal Naskar

Absurd yet funny this cartoon strip brings forward an unlikely story while touching on social vices such as alcoholism and domestic abuse. The narrative is initially hard to follow but the absurdity of it is entertaining.
The deification of an accidental death in the household acts as the cautionary tale of alcoholism – what I enjoy the most here is the idea of contemporary avatars and deities living among us. The visual language of the frames is vivid and capable of capturing the absurdity. –Jury


Champgne-Supernova BY Abhishek Durani

There is unusual beauty here – a celestial body that is quite literally our own body. The artist gets carried away with too many digital visual devices but the idea of a celestial human still remains compelling. With further simplification and maturity we can expect some great abstraction in the future from this artist. –Jury


BUDDING WEAVER AWARD


Untitled BY Sagnik Banerjee

Wonderful juxtaposition of modern and classic elements. If Sir Isaac Newton wielded a present day apple computer just imagine what else he could have computed. –Jury


PHOTOGRAPHS


TRAILBLAZER Shakyasom Majumdar
DREAMSPINNER Suvajit Chanda
Gour Malakar
MASTERCRAFTER Andem Sai Srivathsav
Shakyasom Majumdar
Souvik Bose
Anneysha Chatterjee
Somdip Roy
Suvajit Chanda
Sashank Macharla
BUDDINGWEAVER Aniket Datta


TRAILBLAZER AWARD


Mother-and-Child by Shakyasom Majumdar

A commendable take! An authentic portrayal of a timeless bonding that reveals the very essence of natural propagation of life. Nice presentation resulting from a very good sense of timing. A darker background and proper use of lighting could lend a greater feeling of depth. We would love to see what else the artist’s camera captures to unveil the glory of the living planet in the future.


DREAMSPINNER AWARD


Old Age by Suvajit Chanda
A poetic rendering of the prosaic aging process of living beings. The inexorable anguish of old age is captured in the wrinkles and freckles of the aging face. As if, scarred by prickly leafless branches of timeworn trees, it is about to dissolve into formless mists and clouds. A very good attempt. The concept is shaped competently into a visually engaging form, but lacks in the required technical perfection. The effect applied on the face seems to be a bit on the harsh side. We would love to see more of daring imaginings of the artist’s creative mind

 


Untitled by Gour Malakar
A powerful message. A forlorn storm-struck tree stands in an expansive landscape of the sea and its muddy beach. Evokes the spirit of invincibility of life braving all worldly torments. Good use of (negative) space and the (black-and-white) colour tone enhance the mood of the shot. Use of higher contrast in the foreground could have further honed the image of this everlasting contest of physical powers, so aptly captured in the shot.

 


MASTERCRAFTER AWARD


Untitled by Andem Sai Srivathsav
An alluring abstraction very simply expressed. The appeal is superb, but open to interpretation. Displays commendable application of editing skills. The idea may perhaps be deeper than what one can visualise. It uses too few elements but inspires a quest of wisdom. Surely, the artist will have much more to offer in the future.


Hoopoe Tossing up its Prey by Shakyasom Majumdar
Interesting choice of subject and excellent application of technical skills. Perfect timing, nice framing and appropriate exposure have helped the photographer in capturing the elegance of the subject beautifully, and all in sharp focus. Expecting many more skilful rendering of wonderful nature from the artist.

 


The Sacred Night by Shakyasom Majumder
A hard-to-turn-away-from visual created with rare photographic skills. The star trails captured in the shot demonstrates the earthlings’ illusion that the universe revolves around the pole star and this planet. A difficult exposure made to look easy. We expect more such pictures on wonders of the nature from the artist.

 


UNTITLED by Souvik Bose
A good idea indeed. The subject is a small bunch of joyful working-class children revelling in their freedom of playful running through dusty fields. We trust, once the artist pays greater attention to better use of natural light and imaginative framing, he will have much more to offer.

 


Play Time by Anneysha Chatterjee
A perfect candid shot of rejoicing childhood. It captures a moment of a purposeless act of fun-loving rural children in a brick field. Very good timing. Wish to see the artist capturing more such lively moments in her camera that are simple expression of joy of living.

 


Cycle-Of-Life-II by  Somdip Roy
A truthful depiction of the subtle rhythm of a common traditional-skill-based livelihood. Thoughtful composition bears the imprint of the photographer’s yearning compassion for the artisan’s life and captures the ambience of his workplace with natural elegance. Excellent lighting lends an extra depth to the visual. We expect to have many more such refreshing portrayal of Indian  andicrafts from the artist in the future.


Brother and sister by Suvajit Chanda
An excellent choice of subject framed in a distinctly matured composition. Perfect use of natural light accentuates the atypical maturity of a pre-adolescent sister and the absolute reliance of her younger brother she holds. Editing is on the whole skilful, though the skin tone is affected by excessive use of blackening. Like to see what the artist’s flair of capturing stories of struggle for subsistence gives us in the future.

 


Untitled by Sashank Macharla
An excellent instantaneous shot, with a powerful message. The blurb “great taste delivered at door” is displayed in front of a door-less shelter of a family of pavement dwellers. Indeed, a tell-tale exposure of imperfections of our civilisation. We expect the artist, with his acute sense of contrast and further refining of his framing and exposure skills, will capture many such insightful moments in excellent snapshots.

 


BUDDING WEAVER  AWARD


Untitled BY Aniket Datta
Good idea. The picture is so rife with the soothing blue that the viewers get a taste of freshness of the tranquil lower Bengal countryside. It is most pleasing to the eyes. Artist’s taste for and ability of recognising serene beauty, which with keener sense of framing, we expect, will produce many more pleasing creations in the future.


 SHORT FILMS


TRAILBLAZER Ujan Chattopadhay
DREAMSPINNER Arkojyoti Basu
MASTERCRAFTER Diganta Dey
Pulipati Sandeep
Pallabi Das


TRAILBLAZER AWARD


Spark by Ujan Chattopadhay

Excellent. An intelligent and dispassionate rendering of a real-life romantic pursuing his passion in poverty. Impressive script, cinematography, editing and music. The title is significant in multiple senses. The ‘spark’ from the turning wheel of the means-of-subsistence equipment. The ‘spark’ of talent of the poor struggling poet (the passion) and the ‘spark’ for penchant for life (the ecstasy).

Totally de-sentimentalised treatment of poverty and struggle is portrayed in a matter-of-fact manner.  With a notable economy of expression through simple yet telling images – the man with the machine, obsolete manual technology, and the protagonist picking up stray papers flying in the open – the film maker captures the fascinating life of an exceptional character.

The superb cinematic skills and captivating style of the filmmaker promise greater rendering of his creativity in the future.The  simple yet telling images – the man with the machine, obsolete manual technology, and the protagonist picking up stray papers flying in the open – the film maker captures the fascinating life of an exceptional character.

The superb cinematic skills and captivating style of the filmmaker promise greater renderings of his creativity in the future.


DREAMSPINNER AWARD


Lines by Arkojyoti Basu

An experimental film. A bold attempt at capturing the inherent conflict between the common-place practicality and a deviant passion. The film stands out for its visual narrative, though at times complicated, and the complete absence of dialogue.
The difficult and challenging theme called for many more signifying imageries to communicate better the tension and tribulations between the twin brothers’ psyche and the manifestation of their talents and calibre. In this regard, the film can be said to have achieved partial success.
The filmmaker is expected to make more exciting films in the future.


MASTERCRAFTER AWARD


Monalisa Feeling by Diganta Dey

A fairly potent idea. The film is based on the theme that creation in any art form is driven by a passion drawn from life. The idea, though not very novel, has an element of originality in the way it is expressed in the film.
Very impressive visuals. Some of them bear signs of competent cinematography, particularly for their perspectives and compositions. Reasonably good editing. But, extremely poor script, voiceover and very poor acting leave a lot of room for improvement in execution of the idea.


Mask by Pulipati Sandeep

Good idea (“We all wear a mask”), but not quite elegant or smart execution. The film narrates the tragic tale of how unmasking spells disillusionment and disaster in one’s life. The dismaying feeling “we all wear a mask” that overwhelms the protagonist is a commonly dealt with idea. But, the compassion with which the ensuing anguish and despair are portrayed is rather special. Intelligent combination of camera, editing and style of narration. But, there is an excessive use of blue overtone and message is not well conveyed.


Megh – A song by Anupam Aich by Pallabi Das

An interesting experiment using stop motion technique. This is not merely a reproduction of the song in visuals. Application of creative imageries and a thin story line gives the film the distinction of an artist creation on its own. Repetitive shots, narrations in Bengali and blurb in English could have been avoided. Use of more innovative ideas could have made it much more engaging.

Chota