Indian Arcadia

Krsna Sporting with the Gopis Kishanghar, c. 1820I don’t know much about Indian Miniatures, but – as they say – I do know what I like! I have always been fascinated by the extraordinary detail in these miniature artworks, which I have also admired in English miniatures of the sixteenth century.

During my first year of art college I saw an exhibition of the Sultan Suleiman Collection at the National Gallery of Victoria. (My friend Rapunzel remembered the name of the exhibition, but I am not sure why the collection was named after the Emperor of the Ottoman Empire.)

Malasri Ragini, Ragamala – Malwa, Central India, c.1640

I was in awe of the incredible detail and the extraordinary patience it must have taken on behalf of the artists to create these pictures. On some of them every leaf on every tree was painted individually, and the equivalent of yards and yards of fabric were embroidered in paint. The colours are always so joyous and lively too – they sparkle like jewels, bedecked in gilt – some in fact incorporated pure beaten gold and precious gems. 

… the equivalent of yards and yards of fabric were embroidered in paint

Lady with deer

The art of Indian Miniature paintings can be traced back to the 6th or 7th century AD, evolving and influenced by other cultures over time. Unlike Western miniatures, Indian artists employed multiple perspectives in order to convey the idea that reality existed beyond a single vantage point. (Similarly the Egyptians paid little attention to realistic perspective, and showed people or objects from their most recognisable angle.)

Indian Miniature artists worked on paper, ivory panels, wooden tablets, leather, marble, cloth and walls, using pigments made from minerals and vegetables. Pieces were finished with burnishing to achieve an even, enamel-like lustre. 

Here are some gorgeous pictures painted in my favourite warm, golden tones – landscapes of Arcadia. 

Read more about the history of Indian Miniatures here. Click on images for sources.

Man with falcon, Akbar period, 1600–1605Lady holding a lotus

(Top, left) Raga Kalinga, (top, right) Raga Panchama, (above left) Ragini Gunakali, (above, right) Raga Lalita.

A World in Colour

Machine Worker in Summer, 1937Once upon a time Surrealism in painting might have shocked or surprised viewers, but at this end of history I find surrealism in photography far more amusing. One of the pioneers of colour photography, Madame Yevonde (born Edith Cumber in 1893) used Vivex colour in 1932 – seven years before Norman Parkinson’s first colour photographs appeared in fashion magazines.

At the time she began to experiment with this new medium, colour photography was considered crass and in poor taste. Madame Yevonde however decided to take her portrait photography into the realm of art and create fantastical images inspired by surrealism, and the vivid colour produced by the expensive Vivex process. Society was quickly won over by her enthusiasm and the ‘super-saturated absurdity’ of her portraits where models sat amongst strange theatrical props.

The Honorable Mrs Bryan Guinness as VenusHere is a small collection of her wonderful portraits – like Cecil Beaton on steroids. Sadly, World War II turned Madame Yevonde’s world black and white again, the world had changed and her market had vanished.

For more images visit this gallery at The Independent. 

Article from an unknown British magazine. Click for larger images and to read.

This Above All

I’ve told this tale to many of my friends. When I was 15 or 16 one of my high school teachers wrote this quote from Shakespeare on the blackboard: This above all, to thine own self be true. Polonius says it to his son Laertes in Hamlet. Then and there I thought it was a wonderful quotation, and an even greater exhortation on how to live one’s life.

It’s not always easy to be true to oneself though – there are too many people to please, and too many pushing and pulling in different directions. But it has always been something to inspire and motivate me to be self-aware and stay honest, even if I am entirely frank only with myself. But that’s just between me and my journal … which has an electronic password. 

Lacemotif

I have made no secret that I love lace, and I confess I ooohed when I saw this picture on the Pin Pals blog yesterday. It is so deliciously Seventies, so clever in its imaginative use of lace as a collage material, so striking, so bold, graphic … so … chartreuse. The picture is from Collage: Unusual designs from everyday materials, edited by Linda Doeser (Marshall Cavendish Publications Ltd, 1976).

There is something exotic about it too – perhaps it is the tropical colours, the vaguely eastern flavour, with the wild-plumaged bird atop a tree and feline prancing amongst the trees. It reminds me a little of Indian miniature paintings, but that is another story. 

This Colourful White Night

Theatre of Dreams :: Watts // Big Up // No flashLast night Melbourne held its inaugural White Night, during which art and culture took over the city from 7pm until 7am. The city was divided into precincts celebrating music, light shows, art, film and installations of all sorts. The streets were jammed, the laneways packed like sardines, but Melburnians behaved themselves on the whole.

Wonderland :: Lucifer VI // Rock BW-11 // No flashAlthough we heard some music (it was difficult to fully appreciate some of the acts because of the enormous crowding), my out-of-town friend and I most enjoyed the sound and light shows around town. The precincts had such evocative names as Wonderland, Theatre of Dreams, Elizabeth What Were You Thinking, The World Above, Light Fantastic, and Loved & Treasured. We only missed out on seeing the acts from Pictures & Posers and the Outer Limits, but it was impossible to see everything without a minute scrutiny of the program and careful mapping of the streets. I’m looking forward to next year already!

Read more at The Age website. 

The Beasts From Behind :: TInto 1848 // D-Type Plate // No flash