Day 119 - Pahari painting
January 14, 2019
"My" gallery 251 is not, in fact, the Met's gallery 251, and I will revise my earlier entries accordingly. The true gallery 251 currently houses a display of 18th and 19th century court paintings from the Pahari court in the Himalayan foothills of present-day India and Pakistan. Many of the paintings depict scenes from the great Hindu epics and sacred texts; there are multiple representations of Durga, Krishna, and so on. The paintings are wonderfully detailed. I'm amazed to read that tiny shreds of beetle wing cases were used to create the iridescent jewels in a painting of Devi surrounded by other gods.
A work I especially like , the subject of today's entry, shows Krishna celebrating the start of the rainy season. Roughly 8" by 10" and painted in opaque watercolor and silver on paper, it is based on a devotional text. The blue-skinned god, wearing an elaborate headdress and lots of jewelry, sits under an umbrella surrounded by his acolytes (gopis?). But what I really love are the animals. Two cows look up adoringly at Krishna, while two water buffaloes --one gray, the other with a mottled coat-- graze happily and intently on the newly verdant grass. Other cows and a pair of sheep (or are they dogs?) doze contentedly, the corners of their mouths upturned in little smiles. Four egrets look up at the sky, where clouds are depicted by small spirals; the birds' white necks stand out against the green treetops. Flowers (lotuses?) at the bottom of the picture also give evidence of nature's abundance.
I run into Ethel Bernard, who says that the refinement with which the animals are painted (specifically, the way their backs are shaded) speaks to the skill of the Mughal painters who were employed by the local rulers. But what I respond to, I think, is the combination of the refinement of the style and the naturalism, almost naivete, of the subject matter. It really does feel like spring awakening- although, as the caption says, the rainy season in the Himalayan foothills begins in the fall.
A work I especially like , the subject of today's entry, shows Krishna celebrating the start of the rainy season. Roughly 8" by 10" and painted in opaque watercolor and silver on paper, it is based on a devotional text. The blue-skinned god, wearing an elaborate headdress and lots of jewelry, sits under an umbrella surrounded by his acolytes (gopis?). But what I really love are the animals. Two cows look up adoringly at Krishna, while two water buffaloes --one gray, the other with a mottled coat-- graze happily and intently on the newly verdant grass. Other cows and a pair of sheep (or are they dogs?) doze contentedly, the corners of their mouths upturned in little smiles. Four egrets look up at the sky, where clouds are depicted by small spirals; the birds' white necks stand out against the green treetops. Flowers (lotuses?) at the bottom of the picture also give evidence of nature's abundance.
I run into Ethel Bernard, who says that the refinement with which the animals are painted (specifically, the way their backs are shaded) speaks to the skill of the Mughal painters who were employed by the local rulers. But what I respond to, I think, is the combination of the refinement of the style and the naturalism, almost naivete, of the subject matter. It really does feel like spring awakening- although, as the caption says, the rainy season in the Himalayan foothills begins in the fall.
Comments
Post a Comment