Western world have suffered from many of the same biases and prejudices that have infected analyses of Indian philosophy and culture.

Every culture must find a way to grasp the horns of polar opposites – male/female, good/bad, sky/earth, birth/death – which epitomize so much of the human condition. Additive cultures, like Egypt and India, accept these contradictions as imperfectly perceived parts of a greater unity. 

Unlike the Western religions, which have little philosophical content and belief in the "One God" is mandatory, many of India's ancient religions were not religions in the narrow sense in which religion is construed today. India's early Buddhists were predominantly atheists, the early Jains were agnostic, and within the broad umbrella of Hinduism, there was space for considerable philosophical variety. In the Upanishads, god is described in an extremely abstract and metaphysical way. The philosophical content is essentially secular and spiritual ideas emerge from debate and speculation - not immortal revelations that cannot be challenged or modified with time. In the Nyaya-Sutras, the overwhelming focus is on rational and scientific thinking and analysis, on human understanding of natural phenomenon and physical processes occurring in nature. 

 

This rich tradition of philosophy - both rational and spiritual - found it's way into Indian art and architecture as well. Stupas and temples incorporated a profound symbolic language based on visual representations of all the important philosophical concepts. These included the Chakra - the revolving wheel of time which symbolized the cyclical rhythms of the cosmos;  the Padma - or the lotus symbol which embodied the prime symbol of creation - of the universal creative force that springs from the bosom of the earth; the Ananta (represented as a snake) symbolized  water - the most important life-giving force and the infinite ocean from which all life emerged, got differentiated and then got re-merged and redissolved; the Swastika - representing the four-fold aspects of creation and motion; the Purnakalasa - or the overflowing flower pot - a symbol of creativity and prosperity; the Kalpalata and Kalpavriksha -  the wish-fulfillment creeper or tree that were also symbols of imagination and creativity; Gavaska - sometimes understood to be the third eye; Mriga - or deer - symbolic of erotic desire and beauty; and lingam and yoni - the male and female fertility symbols. 

 

Rules were also evolved to provide additional symbolic content through hand gestures (mudra) of sculptured deities.  Deities were sometimes given multiple arms to signify energy or power or to suggest movement and as symbolic of the celestial dance.  Different arm positions embodied different virtues such as wisdom, strength, generosity, kindness and caring. Multiple arms could thus be used to  signify multiple virtues. 

 

Western analysts have often had difficulty understanding the complex cultural and philosophical systems that gave birth to India's artistic tradition. For many, Indian sculptural panels appeared to be nothing more than a random collection of strange or arbitrary juxtapositions of  primitive beliefs and superstitions. This is not to say that Indian spirituality was always free from superstition or arbitrary constructs, but in the best of the sculptural panels, there was a conscious and knowledgeable attempt to convey powerful philosophical ideas. 

Once Indian painting is freed from externally imposed standards, and the motivations of the Indian artist are better understood - a whole new world of visual delight can open up. From the quixotic 15th C illustrations of  Jain texts in Gujarat to the deeply expressive miniatures of Malwa, one can move on to the colorful whimsy of 16th C Mewar, the striking elegance of the Kishangarh school, and the refined beauty of later Kangra miniatures. One can appreciate  the earnest lyricism of the Orissa palm-leaf miniatures, the decorous elan of the Bundelkhand wall paintings, the bold and dark colors of  Lepakshi, and the vivacious renditions in the palaces and temples of Madurai, Thanjavur and Ramanathapuram. In all these varied traditions of Indian painting, an important element that infused Indian painting with charm and vivacity was the folk idiom that unabashedly found it's way in the art of the regional kingdoms who were less infected by formal Mughal tastes.

When the European world began to experience a renaissance in the realm of art and sculpture, exactly the opposite processes were at work in India. After the renaissance, much of the new patronage for European sculpture came from the urban areas, and this is why European sculptors infused their creations with an urbane  sophistication. The strong shadow of Islamic prudery prevented such a development from taking place in India. The great wealth of  Indian sculpture was created during Europe's Christian era, in a society where the divide between the city and the countryside had not yet sharpened as much. This is why so much of Indian sculpture retains such a strong link to nature and seems less urbane and cosmopolitan, and hence less meritorious to the Western eye. 

 

The Ashok Art Gallery is internationally known for one of its most important holdings: more than 2000 major works by the world's most significant Artists.Over the past years, as Ashok Art Gallery has become a major centre for contemporary visual art, the Gallery has built a strong collection of contemporary work of different artists, we became a sponsor of the STANDUP-SPEAKOUT Artshow, Organized by Art Of Living Foundation and United Nations.Organized an International Contenmporary Art Exhibition including artists from USA, The Nederlands, Pakistan and India.We have also participated at Art Expo India 2008, 09 Mumbai and India Art Summit 2008 New Delhi.

The messengers of love may be the cloud, swan, dove, Malyani (Flower woman) or a portrait , Art Exhibition Review

VERMILION VERSES a Solo show by Baladev Maharatha , held in Indian Capital Delhi,  showing Indian classical Art like wash paintings, tempera and acrylics on canvases at India Habitat Centre Venue: Open Palm Court Gallery Dates: 22nd - 26th Dec. 2010  , inaugurated by Ms Sangeeta Bahadur, Deputy Director General, ICCR on 22nd December 2010 at 5.00 P.M. Exhibition has been organized by Ashok Art Gallery in association with Art India International attracted a healthy crowd and became most discussed show of the year.

The Chemistry of creativity is the outcome of the ripples created at  the cerebral sphere.  The creator imbibes the nuances from various avenues and his creativity is catapulted to such a height, which is called colossal. When the creation reaches colossal heights, the creator becomes a colossus. His masterly uniqueness receives rave views. At times he tries to transform one avenue to the other and the visual media is acutely susceptible to that. Such is the truthfulness with Baladev Maharatha who has been quite meticulously transforming the great poetic lines on to his canvasses, Bucking Ford Paper and the poetry is heard to mind and soul of the viewer, with jugglery of colors and balanced space. His iconology is as per the lines of the poetry and at places, the same surpasses the lines even.

            Baladev is not a novice to this type of transformations. He had already so  many magnums opus poetic work form Kalidas to Kavi Samarat Upendra Bhanja the pioneer of medieval Oriya  Poetry.

Baladev stepped into the particular avenue by vividly osmotising the finer elements  of imagery, iconography and form and the essence would provide him to paint the woman, the Nayika in so called poetics.

            The mediaval poetry has been mostly embracing the “Bhakti Bhaba” and “Shringari Bhaba” (State of Amorous passion ) and are so touchy and lively by depicting the lucidity in love, the ballad of parting for love, exile for love, punishment for love and even death for love that the master painter has been deeply moved by all these descriptions. So the outcome is creation of visual poetry from poetics through palate to paintings.

            The painter compares the gracefulness and the aesthetics and femininity as depicted in the medieval poetics with the psyche prevalent with the feministic attitude of the contemporary women.“Sringar” happens to be the first  “Rasa” for which it is known as the “Aadi Rasa” Beauty and Sringar are having tremendous impact on human mind from times immemorial. The medieval poetics has profusely embraced such “Rasas” . In the poetry of Kavi Samart Upendra Bhanj rhetroric frame makes of medieval Oriya poetry, there are enormous depiction of “Maithuna” and  Sringar but still the women has been kept with highest esteems.

            With the medieval poetics, nature plays a pivotal role. The women are described with the imagery from the nature. The narratives are so lively that the painter finds it quite feasible to transform it to visual medium. Be it the God or Human beings all decline before love for its state of eagerness and belongingness. Hence love is the main bone of contention in medieval poetics. Both animate and inanimate objects are taken as the love messengers here with many texts of medieval poetry.

            The messengers of love may be the cloud, swan, dove, Malyani (Flower woman) or a portrait  of the lover or beloved all solve the same process of communication in love in a figurative shape.

The painter conglomerates all these nuance to classic  contemporary visual art. The aesthetics is a perennial phenomenon with the humanity which connotes the “Bhava”  the psychic emotion and the soul which intermingles the classicism attaining  the contemporanity. In the contemporary Creativity the depiction at times becomes individualistic but with the conventional themes it caters to vast socio-cultural canvases.   

            Baladev’s personals believe is that, art should communicate the over all aesthetics and need to be positive with a reflection of soul searching. Aesthetic, inclination and humanity is some how other necessarily required to tell the tale of the truth embedded within the verses

He also experiences, to create the invisible visible and to paint poetics in his own way is a thought provoking job absolutely. To make the time backward and to coincide with contemporary time,  is only possible by a creative painter.The pictorial theme which one  can conceive form Indian medieval literature, that must be acknowledged globally. So Baladev is glorifying the great poetic elements through his paintings. The poetic depict the creative pursuit gracefulness, ability, surrender, sensitivity, generosity, love for nature changing  life style, spiritualism, envy, revolutionary mind, wisdom and the eternal love of womanhood.

            Artist has very perfectly imbibed the images from the lucid the poetic lines with various visual descriptions like, the lucid body curvature of the female form as well as the gracefullness and the grief stricken facial gesture

Here the Shnigar Rasa depicts the foreplay lorry signs of the union and the nail marks are visible on the body of the Nayika is never obscence rather  realistically depicted.

            With some descriptions the pearl necklace of the Nayika is dismantled because of Viraha (parting  suo-motu and the doves take it as  food gnains and such unique description s have been accutly  conceived and painted by the painter.

            The depiction of natural beauty scape i.e. the mushroom beads spronting  on the ground in series has been portrayed  as the pearl Necklace of the nature as described by the medieval poets and so painted by the painter.

            The blood  red colour of the bathing pond, where red lotus blossom, there the petals spread over the water is a lucid colour jugglery for the painter

            Baladev has used the earthy smelled colour scheme suitable to Indian psyche and befitting to the concept. i.e. the geographical scape, architectural ambience and situations with his paintings. He believes that his paintings are the illustrative poetry which narrates or recites poetry in visual form and shape. The dominating vermilion  red back ground of the paintings narrate the detoriation  and degradation of the value based clarity that we did have in our past.

The Ashok Art Gallery is internationally known for one of its most important holdings: more than 2000 major works by the world's most significant Artists.Over the past years, as Ashok Art Gallery has become a major centre for contemporary visual art, the Gallery has built a strong collection of contemporary work of different artists, we became a sponsor of the STANDUP-SPEAKOUT Artshow, Organized by Art Of Living Foundation and United Nations.Organized an International Contenmporary Art Exhibition including artists from USA, The Nederlands, Pakistan and India.We have also participated at Art Expo India 2008, 09 Mumbai and India Art Summit 2008 New Delhi.

The painter compares the gracefulness and the aesthetics with the feministic attitude of the comtemporary women

VERMILION VERSES a Solo show by Baladev Maharatha , It will exhibit Indian classical Art like wash paintings, tempora and acrylics on canvases at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
Venue: Open Palm Court Gallery Dates: 22nd - 26th Dec. 2010
Art works showing women, birds,flowers trees & mountains captured in intricate detail have been a beautiful reminder of Indian rich traditions of loving the Nature.That’s the beauty part... of it, and what also keeps alive the business of looking, the flip side of this business being how money and fame can sometimes make dreamers or opportunists out of even the most scrupulous experts & institutions...
With the mediaval poetics, nature plays a pivotal role. The women are described with the imagery from the nature. The narratives are so lively that the painter finds it quite feasible to transform it to visual medium.Be it the God or Human beings all decline before love for its state of eagerness and belongingness. Baladev stepped into the particular avenue by vividly osmotising the finer elements of imagery, iconography and form and the essence would provide him to paint the woman, the Nayika in so called poetics....
Show will be innaugurated by Ms Sangeeta Bahadur, Deputy Director General, ICCR on 22nd December 2010 at 5.00 P.M.
see you there



The Ashok Art Gallery is internationally known for one of its most important holdings: more than 2000 major works by the world's most significant Artists.Over the past years, as Ashok Art Gallery has become a major centre for contemporary visual art, the Gallery has built a strong collection of contemporary work of different artists, we became a sponsor of the STANDUP-SPEAKOUT Artshow, Organized by Art Of Living Foundation and United Nations.Organized an International Contenmporary Art Exhibition including artists from USA, The Nederlands, Pakistan and India.We have also participated at Art Expo India 2008, 09 Mumbai and India Art Summit 2008 New Delhi.

Contemporary Classics by Baladev Maharatha from 22nd to 26th Dec 2010

Coming Show Updates: VERMILION VERSASE
Solo show by Baladev Maharatha , will exhibit Indian classical Art like wash paintings, tempera and acrylics on canvases at India Habitat Centre
Venue: Open Palm Court Gallery
Dates: 22nd - 26th Dec. 2010
invitation and all other updates will come soon


The Ashok Art Gallery is internationally known for one of its most important holdings: more than 2000 major works by the world's most significant Artists.Over the past years, as Ashok Art Gallery has become a major centre for contemporary visual art, the Gallery has built a strong collection of contemporary work of different artists, we became a sponsor of the STANDUP-SPEAKOUT Artshow, Organized by Art Of Living Foundation and United Nations.Organized an International Contenmporary Art Exhibition including artists from USA, The Nederlands, Pakistan and India.We have also participated at Art Expo India 2008, 09 Mumbai and India Art Summit 2008 New Delhi.

Indian art heritage , its rich tradition of Art and Culture

Indian art heritage is as rich as most of the established art based countries like Egypt, Greek, China, Japan, France, Italy and Spain etc. It has a specific manifestation in the field of Indian society, art, religion and human sentiments. It touches every sphere of human being and its adaptation is so wider even simple palm leaf and rock wall speaks its merits of beauty, aesthetics and pleasure. Each part of the whole nation express the spectromic echoes of art pleasure. It links urban to a rural, layman to a super human, poor to rich but not tired of to lubricate the long passed echoes of Indian artists spirituality, rather has become an integral part of our everyday lives.Indian Traditional Art was remained in the hands of the rural artisans. They used to deal with the indigenous materials, organic and inorganic materials readily available in their locality. Art activities were well linked with our religion, ritual and everyday lives. A group of people accepted art activities as their main profession who were well known as Kalakaras, they accepted the profession from father to the son, mother to the daughter without much variation in form, style, color, pattern, design and the subject matters. They were not only the painters, sculptors and architects but had good depth on literature, texts and allied grammatical resources.

Indian art is understood through its own grammar of Rasa theory, Sadanga(six principles of Indian art), attitude to Indian art principles of image making etc. It was based on India mythology, poetry of romantic love stories, raga-raginis on the value of Indian society, religion. beauty aesthetics and pleasure. Art education is completely based on ones attachment to the process and entirely not accomplished through an art institution said Sir Baladev Moharatha, Head of Deptt. Painting (Indian Style), He said, “ Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of LIVES-LIFE of values and life of valuables, values are left aside and when values are ignored the person concerned gets devalued. While the commodification of art is a slogan all-around, some people are still there experimenting with the values of art which is beyond commercialization”.

Smt. Sailabala Nayak, Instructor Deptt. Of Painting(Indian Style) said, “ The Tradition and culture are the real identity of a civilized status or of a family. Now in the process of globalization it is difficult to protect and preserve the tradition and culture. Likewise when the student of an art institution displays a picture or submits for exhibition or competition, interestingly enough, the beholders or jury members search for modernity, then in facing the remark that the pictorial language is not readable. Such contrast opinion compels a student, sometimes, to be confused and express him/her- self in a vaguely modern way. But this should not happen”.

It seems reasonable to assume that the Indian art has the potential in terms of both artists and buyers to rival the recent gains made in the Chinese art market and to present itself as a real global participant in the international art market. However, there are some key issues that concern the potential players. These issues have to do with India’s moribund art market infrastructure, which is simply not robust enough to support a major art market. India must develop structures and professionals who can bring order to what in many cases is seeming chaos. Its rich cultural heritage should be come out in form of art works. If this chaos is allowed to continue unchecked, the long term credibility of both India's art and its artists could be irrevocably undermined.
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