Monday 25 November 2019

Language of Dress

 In 60s and 70s, tailors were very much in demand.  Ready-to-wear clothing was not available in small towns, and in fact, nobody liked to wear readymade dress in those days. To discover a good tailor and get dresses stitched properly by them was an uphill task.  With lot of hopes and dreams, one used to give the fabric material along with a page torn from the magazine, which carried the photograph or sketch of a latest fashionable skirt or top, in it.  Seeing the photograph, the tailor would nod and say he would stitch it the same way. He used to enter the details of measurements in a long note book, which had turned yellow with the passage of time and the pages at the corners had curled by constant usage. He would ask us to come after a fortnight.  Since we were in hurry, that fortnight seemed to be like a quarter year, stretching endlessly.  When the particular day approached, with all possible positive thoughts we used to go to the shop to get the dress. On climbing a spiral staircase, we used to enter into the shop. On seeing us, he used to grin sheepishly.  Taking the receipt from us, adjusting his spectacles, he would look again into the long notebook to get the number of the bundle stitched. After a long search in the cupboard, he would finally pull out the bundle as if he had accomplished a mission. With all eagerness, we used to open the bundle to see whether it had been stitched the way it was instructed. To our surprise, the outcome is entirely different and the tailor would explain that design was slightly altered to fit properly.  What an audacity!  As he could not digest the new fashion, he had stitched it the way he knew.   In spite of the measurements given correctly, dress used to be either too short or too long in the end.  Since then fashion has evolved differently and with great speed, now more and more people are becoming aware of trends. Fashion channel on T.V highlights the latest trends around the world and shows how fashion language has changed over years..
Those who are avid followers of fashion are well acquainted with fashion magazines.  Vogue magazine, started in1892, is one of the oldest fashion magazines and has been popular throughout the world for its rich photographs of ladies in fashionable dresses in glossy papers. It  is a great credit for one to appear in this magazine. Usually, fashion has been associated with actors and the rich. Actors dressing in different way create their own fashion language.  In semiotics, Roland Barthes says fashion works as a language – coded language, a sign. Dresses when decoded speak out the truth and classify people as rich, poor, elegant, conservative, artistic, flamboyant and so on.
      Fashion is a popular style at a particular period and that is associated with culture.  With the passage of time, fashion has evolved better and better- design wise, material wise, and aesthetic values too have changed. Fashion is a trend in a particular time and it keeps changing time to time. To be on the bandwagon, it is essential for one to move with the time and accept the trends that are latest and fashionable. The word fashion is applicable to all fields.  
                                         One could assess the personality of a person by the way he or she is dressed and how it is carried on. Dress denotes character, taste, attitude, sophistication and elegance of a person in detail. Some persons look amazingly beautiful and dignified in simple attires and command respect. This is  possible because their attire reflect their philosophy of life. It does not matter whether one looks trendy or not, one has to be graceful and dignified. Every human being, basically, desires to be loved, respected and complimented. For that, one has to make efforts to choose the right dresses with right colors for the right occasion. The colors of the dresses indicate the qualities of persons. Persons who are very active usually prefer bright primary colors.  Those who are usually sober go for brown and grey colors. Highly elegant people always blend their dresses with grey, black and white shades. Colors indicate the psychology of a person. Dressing is also an art and it comes in hand while working out on combinations of materials, colors and trends. Preference for colors vary as one ages and maturity reflects through the dresses one wears. Apart from dressing elegantly, one has to be comfortable in the dress.
Observing the latest trends and its adoption by en masse has made me to reflect seriously on this particular issue. In the present condition, everyone desires to look one’s best with all the readily available dresses and accessories. T.V. is the main source through which everyone gets a dose of fashion and latest trends every day. Films play a key role in setting up trends and dictating

en masse.  Window shopping and online shopping have facilitated people at great lengths. Fashion trends keep changing very fast as consumers are willing to consume more and more.  Mass production means identical items in huge quantity. By using identical objects people all look alike, like Xerox copies.   
To be fashionable, there is no need to purchase all the fashionable things that land in the market, try them, and present oneself as a big goofy.  Age, body structure, nature of a person, job status, education, religion and family background   all these  play key roles in selecting  dresses.  One has to visualize how a dress would look on one when it is worn on.   A conscious effort will definitely will bring some changes in one’s tastes and selection of dresses. In  Bollywood  ,Simi Garewal,  Shabhana Azami,  Rekha, Deepika Padukon  are remarkably well dressed and have left  their  indelible individual statements on the viewers. One can combine readymade garments and accessories in one’s own way with personal creativetouches and can make individual statements.

Monday 3 June 2019

From Postcard to Whats App


Sculptor Vilas Kulkarni [ first one from the right]
      




          When our show was going in the Jehangir Gallery,Mumbai , at the same time, in the same place, Delhi artists were exhibiting their works in the spacious auditorium gallery. In the auditorium hall, postbox sculptures made in the fiber glass medium stood as testimony to the bygone period and caught the attention of each and every visitor's attention since the post boxes are connected to everyone's life. Delhi based artist Vilas Kulkarni had this concept of post boxes in his mind since a long time but the concept got materialized when he was planning for his Mumbai show. When asked about these sculptures, he was emotionally remembering the olden days. The technology has smoothened the ways and people are getting news very fast today but the new gadgets cannot bring the warmth and emotional touch that the letters used to bring, the artist expressed. Now the messages and emails are very brief and devoid of feelings as everyone sees and feels. Now the conversation is carried mainly in English. So the works displayed were satirical and reflecting the contemporary truth. From the red post boxes were spilling out only English letters as if all the regional languages have taken back seats. As English is flourishing across the world as global language, the regional languages are slowly vanishing one by one. If serious efforts are not put in , the regional languages will fade away within no time. Now the total scene has changed completely due to the invasion of computers and mobiles and new applications, so naturally the post box has taken a back seat. The post boxes used to play a very important role in everyone's life a few years back. The post cards , inland letters and covers which carried messages to friends ,parents and relatives used to be carried by this post box. Those were the days when connectivity was difficult and a distant dream. One had to wait for many days to get news. Post cards usually carried brief messages especially the death messages written in two three lines. Inland letters were lengthier than postcard and shorter than covers. The educated people opted for inland letters and inland letters were not as open as post cards. The postcard letters used to be read by one and all, whether one intended to read it or not, one could not abstain from eyeing its contents - open letters, open secrets. The covers always contained long sheets of paper either white or lined or tinted ones written with ink pens. While writing, sometimes the bluish or blackish ink used to smear on the pages here and there. In those days news and messages travelled slowly and reached the destination many times after its importance diluted. But everyone used to wait eagerly for the post man to come and deliver the letters at one's door step.

The invention of computers and mobiles has ultimately has put an end to the letter writing. During the high school days, language question papers used to have one question about letter writing. Now only for official purpose letters are written and dispatched as hard copies. Emails , messages and WhatsApp have become popular these days. Nobody bothers to sit and write letters elaborately now a days.


The small post boxes spread in the auditorium, catching everyone's eyes, stood as the testimony for the bygone period of emotions. The post boxes present in the auditorium belonged to different cities, and one them belonged to my place as the artist is originally from my place. The post box had our city name and pin code. I was really happy to see the particular post box. Some of the works were very interactive as some small children wrote small, small messages on paper and put into the boxes. After some years, the post box will become an antique piece and will be kept in the museums.

The invention of computers and mobiles has ultimately has put an end to the letter writing. During the high school days, language question papers used to have one question about letter writing. Now only for official purpose letters are written and dispatched as hard copies. Emails , messages and WhatsApp have become popular these days. Nobody bothers to sit and write letters elaborately now a days.

The small post boxes spread in the auditorium, catching everyone's eyes, stood as the testimony for the bygone period of emotions. The post boxes present in the auditorium belonged to different cities, and one them belonged to my place as the artist is originally from my place. The post box had our city name and pin code. I was really happy to see the particular post box. Some of the works were very interactive as some small children wrote small, small messages on paper and put into the boxes. After some years, the post box will become an antique piece and will be kept in the museums.

Friday 24 May 2019

What makes the journey interesting ? Insights from history,literature,culture and religion definitetly make the journey interesting. Ujjain is a very unique place to visit.

   What makes the exploration of places interesting?  It is worth visiting new places with glimpses of history, with the insights from literature, culture, and religion. A blend of ancient and contemporary cultural values presents a colorful canvas to the explorer.





             Historically, Ujjain is a very significant place located in the west central part of Madhya Pradesh, in India, and I wanted to see this place very much. Many times, I had come across this word called Ujjain in the pages of history, in the context of Mythology, in the context of Kalidas Literature, in the context of the important play named Mrichhakatika of Shudraka.  During the Mouryan period, Ujjain was a centre place for administration, politics, religion and culture.  Through the pages of history, we come to know that the famous king Vikramaditya ruled  his kingdom from Ujjain and it was a political centre during 6 BCE. It  seems early urbanization started from Ujjain in 7 BCE. Now some part of the city presents an ancient look with age-old architecture at the both sides of the road. The ancient temple architecture in the city gives a splendid look to the city. The roads are wide but very dusty. The whole city is covered with big and small temples as shaivism, vaishnavism and shakta cults have been followed here. The sight of people with sandalwood paste on their foreheads is quite common in Ujjain. Since many rulers with religious bent of mind reined their kingdoms from this place, the people of this place are very religious, and as a result, many temples have come into existence in this place according to one’s faith, in the following years.
The literary people of this place are so much enamored with the literature of the famous Sanskrit poet kalidasa that without reference to this poet they won’t spend a single day. Kalidasa’s play Abijnanashakuntala is the first Sanskrit play to be translated in English. From the records, it seems Kalidasa lived during the reign of Chandragupta II, in 4 c.C E, and spent a part of his life in Ujjain. Some other speculations lead to that Kalidasa lived during the reign of king  Vikramaditya. The people of Ujjain have tremendous respect for poet Kalidasa and his works, which remain a source of inspiration for them till today. What makes these works stand the test of time? The underlying philosophy of the work, space and time used in a unique way, have continued to retain their charm for the upcoming writers of Ujjain and other writers in India till today.  
 Mrichchhkattika, a Sanskrit play, is written by a renowned philosopher and writer named Shudraka, who happened to be a king and used to write in the name of  Shudraka, which  means a servant.  Critics are of the opinion that this play reflects the political and social cultures of the period then in Ujjain  and  the play deviated from the main trend by focusing on the peasant people and highlighting their language called Prakrit rather than the noble class and their language. In northern India, this is a well known play and  the  play is made into film called Ustav,  which is directed by Girish Karnad.
                                    Women draped in colorful saris, faces covered with sari pallu, go about their daily errands in Ujjain. Each city has its culture and the culture of Ujjain built over a period of time speaks volumes through architecture, literature and local people with their faiths and living habits. In all the restaurants and small eating joints at the road sides, Poha dish is quite common and available all the time and is prepared in huge quantity. Sweet like Jilebi too is quite common and one sees people enjoying it almost everyday. Poha is usually consumed with chopped onions, fried green chilies and shevu, which is prepared from besan. The preparation of Poha seems similar to the south Indian preparation. Each city develops its food culture according to its geographical and climatic conditions. Milk and curds are available in abundant quantity but people don’t consume curds and butter milk during winter season. Sesame is used regularly in almost all dishes. To feel a city in a true sense, one has to stay for some time and explore the different areas and corners of the city and interact with local people to know about its culture and significance.
There is a well known temple called MahaKaleshwara. The lingam at Mahakala, one of the twelve jyotiralingas in India, is self manifested and is known for its power. The architecture of this temple is very beautiful which was reconstructed by Scindias at the later stage. Many references have been made to this temple in Puranas and the poet kalidasa too has referred to this temple in his works. Many pilgrims visit this temple throughout the year. Kala Bhairava temple dedicated to Kal Bhairav, is very beautiful and active. Sandipini Aashram is also an important place where pilgrims desire to visit. Acharya Sandipini was teacher to lord Krisna, whose Bhagavad-Gita is world famous.



                                                                                                           






Rama Ghat is place, which offers rich visuals of religious rituals taking place at the bank, everyday.The beautiful old architecture which stretches along the river bank offers a magnificent visual and it takes one to the by-gone period.
 
                                                            An old palace named Kalideh, built on the lines of Persian architecture, is in a pretty bad depleted condition, but stands alone on the outskirts of the city but majestically reminding of the luxurious life style enjoyed by the rulers. This palace was built by the sultan of Mandu in the year 1458 AD. The Persian inscriptions in the palace suggest the visits of Mogul emperors like Akbar and Jahangir. The morning light was playing very playfully on the old structure of the palace and on the two ponds which were right opposite to the palace, with old unused stone structures in the middle, when we visited that place. The sight was magical.
Each city has its history, politics, literature and culture to count on. History and literature denote how cities have evolved gradually, within space and time.



                          

Saturday 27 April 2019

Gallery

Artist: Gayatri Desai







* paintings for sale. Inquire through email

Monday 22 April 2019

Moghul Miniatures : Reflection of flora and fauna

      







Jahangir with Falcon
     When we look at paintings, we slowly realize how these paintings communicate to us. Each line, each form, each colour, the spatial arrangement speaks volumes. By studying these paintings, we can realize what kind of culture prevailed during that period. The very word ‘culture’ itself denotes lot of things like material culture, the way of living, the behavioral aspect, tastes,  ideas, concepts and values. Keeping all these things in mind, one can have a look at these rich paintings for deeper understanding. When I look at these mogul miniature paintings in the backdrop of  fast growing urbanisation in recent years, which is a matter of concern for all of us,   these  paintings beautifully unfold before us the richness of vegetation, which the artists have captured in fine lines and colours. Now cities are growing both horizontally and vertically because of the greediness of real estate people and that too at the cost of beautiful, rich vegetation.  If urban development continues in the same manner, the next generations will see vegetation only in paintings and books.       
Moghul  and Rajput miniatures, two independent schools of art,  are considered to be the cream of Indian art, which flourished from 15th  to 17th century. The Moghul Dynasty was established in India by the emperor Babar. Emperor Babar was much more in interested in expanding his empire, so he could not give much attention to the developments of art and architecture, though he had a strong liking for art, literature and music.  But the emperors who followed  Babar have given India a huge collection of unforgettable miniatures  and architecture of excellence to India.  The emperor Barbar’s son Humayun, when he ascended to the throne, was forced in to exile to Persia in the beginning as one of his generals rose against him. Emperor Humayun as a refugee was given shelter by Safavid Dynasy which was ruling Persia then. During his stay in Persia, Humayun got acquainted with the Persian art and artists. As a result, while coming back to India after defeating the general with the help of Safavid  emperor, he brought a couple of famous artists from Persia. Those Persian artists and Indian artists worked together and produced a body of interesting works , which is the fusion  of Indian and Persian  sensibilities.  Today also, we see these works with great pleasure as these have tremendous charm.
Coming to the point, in Moghul miniatures we see a lot of importance being given to vegetation. The rulers and the artists as well gave priority to detail about the vegetation. It shows their close connectivity with nature and love for it. While going through the pages of Moghul history, I read that emperor Jahangir, the grandson of Humayun, was very much interested in collecting the rare spies of birds, plants and flowers. He used to instruct his ministers to collect rare things and document them through painting. And these paintings were preserved in a systematic manner in a chronological way.  As a result, we see mogul miniatures, especially the borders embellished with beautiful flora and fauna. Most of the portraits of these emperors and their family members have beautiful borders interlaced with flowers, birds and plants.  Human being as a part of nature, his/her association with nature is essential for harmonious living and these borders inhabited with vegetation reflect the same concept.
Shah Abbas II with falcon
During his time, the emperor Jehangir used to get his portraits done by famous artists. As a result, we see a series of portraits of Jehangir in various moods. Not only his portraits, his family members too had got their portraits done by the court painters. The court painter culture had developed during the reign of Jehangir, who was very much interested in art, literature and music. Those highly respected court painters were very skilled   and  each one was expert in a certain field. Sometimes the artists expert in a certain field used paint that part and other artists used to contribute their expert skills to the remaining parts, so it used to be a collective work. So, most of the paintings are not signed by the artists.  Due  to the existence of these court painters, the practice of painting had continued for a long time. The emperor Jehangir had an eye for beautiful and rare species;  the rich portrait of Jehangir with Falcon on his right hand is the indication of his genuine interest in nature. The falcon seems to be in a sweet mood as wings have been raised to cheer up the majesty and the emperor is looking at the bird intently. The most interesting fact is the long gown of the emperor has been covered with animals like deers, tigers, birds and plants.  Roland Barthes has written extesively about the dress and decoding, and we can apply the same decoding theory here to get deeper meanings.
Here is one more painting belonging to a dynasty called Safavid Dynasty, which  ruled Persia then. The portrait belongs to Shah Abbas II who ruled Iran from 1642 to 1666. He was the seventh Shah of Safavid dynasty. The emperor Jehangir’s portrait and the portrait of Shah AbbasII have similarities. Shah Abbas has been shown with a falcon on his right hand and the borders have been covered with the thick vegetation with animals and birds. Life of animals and birds has been observed closely and depicted naturally by the artists in both the paintings.  Romancing, copulating, killing – all have been depicted through delicate sensuous lines and colours. Though these borders give pleasure at the first sight, on the second and third look, the paintings reveal the secrets of the vegetation. The birds, animals, tress, plants have been rendered very realistically.

The Moghul Miniatures are a source of eternal inspiration for artists and the onlookers. Though small in size, they speak volumes.      

Saturday 20 April 2019

Gallery


 Artist: Madhu Desai

Untitled          6'x4'         Acrylic

Monsoon Friends       4'x4'         Acrylic

Monsoon friends        4'x4'          Acrylic


Thursday 18 April 2019

Art Blog by Gayatri Desai: Renaissance man Leonardo Da Vinci: World Art Day i...

Art Blog by Gayatri Desai: Renaissance man Leonardo Da Vinci: World Art Day i...:  Art has evolved significantly since the classical period and it needs a deeper look and understanding. Marcel Duch...

Renaissance man Leonardo Da Vinci: World Art Day is celebrated in the name of Leonardo Da Vinci - The contributions of Michelangelo, 20th century painters Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and Marcel Duchamp are also important. Next to Leonardo Da Vinci, Marcel Duchamp is considered as the most Influential Artist all over the World. Art has evolved significantly since the classical period and it needs a deeper look and understanding.








 Art has evolved significantly since the classical period and it needs a deeper look and understanding.
Marcel Duchamp, who had worked in cubism, futurism and Dadaism, finally rejected the whole process as retinal art and turned towards conceptual art ­– which focused on mind – ideas. Like Leonardo, he was also interested in knowledge purely, so for many years he did not produce any work of art. One fine day, he keeps a man- made object namely Fountain as a piece of art, and that one art work revolutionize the whole art world.
Vitruvan Man’s drawing represents the Renaissance Humanism, because the perfect measurements of human body and proportions have been got with the scientific approach   – through the combined study  of art and science. Humanism covered many aspects under its wing and tried to revive many   legacies like literary legacy, moral  legacy and  classical antiquity. During this period, grammar, rhetoric, literature and moral values were appraised. Individual expression, intellectuality, and emotions were given priority.
When I was studying in art college, we always heard about Monalisa first and then about Leonardo. Since those college days, the painting of Monalisa has remained an enigma and the most sought after painting. Every artist seems to be obsessed with that painting. What has made that painting so popular? Now a day, anything can become famous and viral because of the social sites. But since decades the painting has been in news in or the other way. Because of today’s technological facilities, becoming famous or getting known to everyone has become very simple.
When my husband and myself planned to visit Kassel during Documenta, in Germany, we also decided to visit Paris to see the world famous painting Monalisa. We missed it narrowly by hours or by a day. We were there right in the louvre museum, but the museum had a holiday on that particular day. Instead of going through the Louvre Museum, we visited nearby another museum which had housed colorful impressionistic paintings, that was also worth visiting as we had opportunity to see some unseen paintings of Picasso and Vangough. Monalisa remained a dream for us.
This year 2019, artists all over the world are celebrating the 500 th year of the artist Leonardo Da Vinci death anniversary, a contemporary of Michelangelo. An Italian painter well versed in many fields. He was a genius! His enormous interest in human anatomy led him to dissect nearly sixty two human dead bodies. For his curiosity, he was penalized and kept into the prison as neighbors complained about his eccentric habit. His sketch books reflect how deeply he was engaged and engrossed in to anatomical study. In one of his sketch books, one gets to see a number of sketches of fetus, in different stages. All these have been documented with utmost care and precision. Under each sketch, notes have been made. But the writing is from right to left. Only with the mirror image, one can grasp the details. Some analysts are of the opinion that Leonardo wanted to keep his studies a secret.  
The contribution of renaissance period to the field of art is enormous. The innovation of linear perspective, scientific approach to art study, especially human and animal anatomical studies, light and shade usage, exploration of deep emotions, and intellectuality are the main characteristics of Renaissance. According to Leonardo” lights which may illuminate opaque bodies are of 4 kinds. These are; diffused light as that of the atmosphere; And Direct, as that of the sun; The third is Reflected light; and there is a 4th which is that which passes through [translucent] bodies, as linen or paper etc.[5]”  The study of light  enabled the artists to give three dimensional effect to the objects on two dimensional surface.  Linear perspective also helped to the three dimensional portraying of objects.   Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael are the famous artists of this period. Of the three, Leonardo turned out to be the most outstanding artist as his  studies continued into the various fields throughout his life time. We can trace and link today’s designs of helicopter and parachutes to the earlier futuristic sketches of Leonardo, who had designed these in the renaissance period itself, but the sad thing is, they remained only in sketch books. He was successful in architectural, armory and cartographic designs too. Throughout his life, he was interested in gaining knowledge. This habit made him to work on a painting again and again, and experiment. As a result, most of his paintings remained unfinished, because he never got satisfied with any of his paintings. According to the history pages, he has completed only fifteen paintings, and of those fifteen paintings Monalisa is also one, which remains unfinished with charismatic and enigmatic smile.

 To get the human and animal anatomy correct, he used to dissect the bodies so as to study muscles and bones and the movement in particular. As a result of this rigorous study, the enigmatic smile of Monalisa has become so famous and lures millions of visitors to Lovure museum. His sketch books speak volumes about his passion for studying the objects scientifically. Nude figure studies became very popular in the renaissance period. Freestanding sculptures became popular and these could be viewed from all the sides as these were freed from the walls. Because of his outstanding knowledge and contributions to the various fields, Leonardo was considered a renaissance man.

The famous Louvre Museum has a long history before it was converted into museum.  In the beginning the museum was a fortress, which was used as a defensive enclosure for Paris and it was built by King Phillippe Aguste in 1190. As its defensive role, the fortress used to monitor the unwanted entries from the river Siene to the castle. When Paris grew, the fortress lost its significance as guarding fortress. Then the castle was being used for occasional stay for the monarchs. For some years, it remained as the main castle for the successive kings, but when Louis xiv shifted to another palace, this place evolved as a center for art in 1725. Some artists used to work and stay here in this place – artists like Fragonard, Cardin used to stay here.
After the French Revolution in 1789, following the over throwing of monarchy, the government decided to convert this castle into museum. Now this famous museum has around 35000 art works and 10 million people visit the gallery every year. Main attraction of the museum is Monalisa painting.

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Sunday 7 April 2019

Photo Albums: Nostalgic moments of life


An old album containing several small and big snaps unfolds before me. I turn the pages passionately to catch the glimpses of my siblings, parents, relatives and friends.  With the passage of time, the pages of the album have worn out and become brittle; the photographs too have turned yellowish and look faded. The yellowed photographs frisk me from present to the past, with nostalgic memories flooding. The thin transparent papers alternating after each thick black sheet of paper have crumpled at the edges; some holes too have appeared in their fragile bodies. With the threads of space and time, these albums have preserved our memories and lineage gracefully over all these years. These albums stand as testimony for the evolving culture. Long skirt with a small top and a dupatta was the ideal dress for the grown up girls then.   Girls and women in their early thirties or so, sporting two plaits was quite a common sight. Slowly, the two plaits would turn into one plait or into a bun, or in to a knot as one aged gracefully accepting reality. These hair styles manifest the trends of those day, in the photographs. We as school girls have been photographed with colorful ribbons made with various materials and eye- catching designs with folded plaits. In those days, no woman was using safety pins to keep the sari in place, especially the pallu. In these old photographs, I look at myself and my
friends in saris, shoulders fully covered with sari pallu. We really look funny, innocent, and beautiful.
At the studios, the photographs of young women flaunting their long single plaits embellished with jasmine or sevantige flowers were quite common in 60s and 70s. For these exclusive photographs, the plait used to get extended with artificial supplements. The girls stood with their backs, with their embellished plaits, facing the long studio mirrors, which reflected the decoration of the plaits vividly. Every house showcased this kind of photos in the main hall in those days. For sheer fun,  sometimes, small boys would be photographed being metamorphosed into girls, with girl’s attire and hair decoration. Next comes the description of convocation photographs. In every house, a row of convocation photographs used to adorn the walls of the hall declaring proudly the number of graduates in the family. The medium sized photographs in black and white color, framed either in black or white color frames, used to be seen at each and every house in 60s and 70s. A graduate clad in a black gown and holding with both hands a rolled up certificate obliquely in front of her/his chest was the typical pose for convocation photographs. Sometimes, the poses slightly differed— a person would be sitting or standing near a tall table, which narrowed at the top. On the table top, a flower vase would appear invariably. This type of photographs was quite common in the albums, in those days.
When I was studying in college, in the early 70 s, the convocation function used to be a very big event for the graduates. In 60s and 70s, every graduate used to await this event with all the eagerness. After completing the course, it was everyone’s dream to attend the event in the black gown and get the certificate. Only the gold medalists and rank holders would receive the certificate by the chief guest of the prestigious function; others at the office.  When we friends graduated in 73, we were looking forward to the convocation function very eagerly. Standing up in queue, we got our respective gowns and certificates at the university office. On the function day, we wore those gowns  which were not tailor made for our physique, feeling a little bit uncomfortable, but with a bright smile on our face. A sense of fulfillment all of us had on that day.
  During the convocation event, the studios used to be very busy as graduates thronged 

Tuesday 26 March 2019

Why Ragamala Paintings are so famous ? A fusion of painting, poetry and music


Art is nothing but life. When a shift takes in life, automatically a shift happens in art too. Art history reveals how life has evolved over the years along with art, which is the inherent and creative expression of human being. Cave paintings are the examples of the first expression of human being. Continuous evolving has led to refinement and sophistication in living and tastes. Ragamala paintings as a genre which combine painting, poetry and music, are very refined and sophisticated - linear, lyrical, infused with music - this style started way back in the 16th century, in northern India
Change of seasons is always welcome as it brings changes into life through atmospheric change and many other related changes along with it. In an exotic and unique manner, Ragamala Paintings celebrate the seasons through fusion of lines and colors, which bring out poetical visuals.  Ragamala Paintings based on ragas not only give visual treat but also invoke in depth emotions in the viewers, which reflect the emotive qualities of the particular ragas that are sung at particular season and time. There are six ragas mainly—Bhairavi, Dipika, Sri, Malkaunsa, Megha, and Hindola. Ragas are also classified as male and female ragas. Ragamala paintings are based on ragas and worked upon. Through the fine rendering, exquisite composition and color harmony, the essence and melody of  each raga is brought out in such a beautiful manner that the viewer merges with lines and colors and flows into the emotions of the painting the minute he or she sets eyes on it.
These miniature paintings are not meant for the walls, as these are very small and need to be viewed from close quarters. Some paintings are so small that - to view, enjoy and appreciate the details one needs a magnifying glass.
Pancha Bhutas have great significance as life is centered on these - ākāśa, Light, Water, Earth, Air. Because of these five elements life begins and ends. So one worships these elements, each element is revered in the name of a particular god, and devotional songs are written and sung in praise of gods, in India. The songs and music have spiritual and mystical touch.
                                                                                                                                                                Megha means cloud; Malhar means torrential rain. Both ragas are similar and represent monsoon season. This raga is usually performed in the midnight and Lord Krisna is the presiding deity of this raga. So in these paintings, we usually see Lord Krishna as the main form and always  playing flute, his favorite musical instrument.
These paintings have a devotional and spiritual look as these are centered on divine love, passion and submission. These rare paintings depict Indian culture and ethos.

 
    

       Lord Krishna with women is celebrating the rainy season in this beautiful composition. The dark sky is covered with heavy clouds and lightening streaks, the scared birds and snakes are trying to move swiftly to a safe place. Playing  with musical instruments and dancing happily, the women are celebrating the rainy season with Lord Krishna, in a spiritual union. The dark background with heavy clouds invokes a scary feeling in the viewer but the dancing figures in the lower part as a contrast, lightens the effect and lets in one to join and enjoy the mood. Rain also symbolizes romance and fertility. When much awaited rain comes after summer, all living creatures of the world, welcome it with exuberance and rejoice in it. The forms move rhythmically in the space, creating a beautiful design. Lord Krishna is a divine hero, lover, and enchanter. Lord Krishna in blue color, a halo around his head and in rich costumes, dominates the space. The women with fair complexion and delicate limbs are dancing around him. The treatment of the painting is very decorative as lines have been rendered elegantly and sensitively, delicate designs covering the costumes of the figures enhance the beauty of the figures and overall effect. 

 




The scene in the painting is very poetical and magical. Lord Krishna is playing a conch looking towards the sky and it seems he is addressing and welcoming God Varun [ Varun is the god of the water]. The sky is over cast with different shades of grey, the lightening has spread across the sky; the rain has started pouring down, and birds have started flying nest-wards. Holding a big decorative umbrella, the woman is trying to shield Lord Krishna from the rain and another woman is trying to shield herself with her pallu [The edge of the dupatta or sari]. All three of them are enjoying the rain. The clouds, birds and the foliage have been rendered decoratively. The color combination of the painting, mainly grey shades and white with a touch of orange and pinks invokes emotions in viewers.  As human being is part of the cosmos, a strong relation exists between him and nature. However, cultured one might be, but ultimately, the relation with nature becomes important. In all the three paintings, Nature/ Culture, Man/ Women, Man/Animal, spiritual/materialistic - all play significant roles.