Digitalisation has ushered in a global revolution in art, especially with the vast array of digital tools and techniques available in different platforms in the form of software applications, which hold utility for both beginners as well as professionals. Instead of taking up that traditional pen and paper, paintbrush, and canvas, distinct forms of artwork can be easily created in digital devices with inbuilt art tools. This digital transformation has helped art to traverse from the borders of a canvas to a technologically operated screen where, instead of brush strokes or pigment of colours, the artist can experiment with pixels and digital paint brushes which can help to design both animated and inanimate artworks. The traditional creative Mandala Art, which has immeasurable cultural, spiritual, and religious significance across different cultures in the world, has also been profoundly affected by the digital age and its approach towards art techniques.
Before the digital era, traditional creative mandala art would be created from sand or coloured threads for the purpose of meditation or any sacred religious rights. It would take a painstaking effort to complete the intricate web of designs. However, as the pen and paper era had to make way for digitalisation, the creation of the Mandala Art technique does not require so much effort or time as it can be created with just a few clicks and swipes on any digital gadget that supports digital art software applications. With the added perfection and precision of digital tools, many artists are experimenting with the designs of creative Mandala Art by trying out different geometrical patterns, colours, and thematic fusions thereby blending its traditional implications with the modern perception of art. With the availability of digital tools, artists are trying to capture the context of the fusion of modern abstract painting or conceptual art with the traditional mandala structure. The best part about this evolution of the traditional creative mandala art technique because of digitalisation is the option of undoing the creation and redoing it multiple times without the need to waste time or the stationaries. Within minutes, the artists can watch their ideal creations and masterpieces come to life on digital screens with only a few taps and swipes onto digital devices. Some of the common software applications that can help to create stunning Mandala art are Canva, Photoshop, Mandala Maker, Mandoo, Amaziograph, iOrnament, Mandala Kit, Radial, and Adobe Illustrator. Gone are the days when an artwork would take an artist more than one month to complete, as these paintings do not just leap out of the canvas but out of the screens of digital gadgets as well, which emphatically indicates the blurring of the boundaries between manual work and digital work.
Unlike the traditional style of creating mandala art, its evolved version in the times of digitalisation has made it easier for beginners in the field of art to start their first practice with Mandala through the pre-installed shapes and templates available in the digital platforms. In addition to that, there are several Mandala designs on these digital platforms which the artists can customise in their own way by modifying the colours and the patterns to make it reflect their unique style of artistic expression. However, some people prefer to hold a different perspective regarding the massive evolution of the traditional creative mandala art technique because of digitalisation. On one hand, the artists of the modern generation swear by the user-friendly interfaces of digital art-creating tools and the availability of free designs which makes it easy for them to work on Mandala Art. On the other hand, the individuals who believe the representation of the Mandala art to be a channel for meditation and practising mindfulness, find the digital platforms to be ineffective and artificial which robs them of the calming experience of creating the Mandala design by hand. Some critics opined that the authenticity quotient is lost due to the digitalisation of the traditional mandala arts techniques because the digital version can be recreated and copied by anyone without the need to give credit to the original creator.
In spite of the unavoidable challenges of digitalisation felt in all aspects of life including that of art, it cannot be denied that the digital era has encouraged artists to interpret the traditional motifs and symbols of the mandala art techniques as per modern aesthetics and thematic patterns. Also know more about Mandala art included concepts like macrocosm and microcosm, the impermanence of life, and the vastness of the universe, the modern versions of Mandala art techniques have evolved majorly owing to the benefits of the digital age into a more contemporary avatar where the artists can explore abstract concepts and modern themes through intricate creative mandala art patterns.
Another major influence of the digital era is the availability of multiple options for promoting the Mandala art technique and disseminating its significance all across the world. With the Internet connectivity provided in the digital platforms, traditional mandala artists can create a virtual version of their artwork and put it up for exhibition on online platforms. This opportunity clearly points out that the digital era has eliminated the physical limitations associated with traditional mandala art and the way it was created. In addition to that, it is the digital age and its blessings, that the modernisation of creative Mandala art techniques, its significance, implications, and representations can be dispersed very easily which is important for art enthusiasts to be able to nurture the cultural significance of this art form for the posterity.
