Indian Painting

Venue:
Art Gallery of New South Wales

Dates:
to June 6

Cost:
Details

Minutiae

On at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Indian Painting is a free exhibition, and quite a varied collection spanning "the ages".

The selection consists of Jain Manuscript; Rajput Miniatures; Mughal Miniatures; Company School Painting; Folk Painting and 20th Century Painting.

To my "untrained eye", the centuries passing, wars, famine, life, death and infinity haven't seemed to have had radical impact on changing art style (maybe I am just too westernised), if you are to look at Indian life through the art depicted. Yes, the intricacy is there, and yes, the colours are wonderful, and double yes that anyone can actually paint such detail SO small is beyond my comprehension, but as for inspiring me to think that the Indian nation, as a whole, are having a rich and real time, well, no. >>>

Jamini Roy Three seated women c 1942

Not to say that this is everyone's point of view. Certainly not. I just happen to prefer to look into a three dimensional painting full of light, shade, body and wistfulness. I find these paintings very one dimensional, repetitive and as with many religious cultures, "book like" and flat. The colours are rich and wonderful, note-worthy and inspiring, the patterns intricate, the subject matter naïve. The early paintings are not unlike the paintings on the walls at Knossos, in Crete, and must span the same time frame, although interestingly enough the 20th Century paintings have the same look and feel. Has much changed since then? Is this indicative of Asian Art? I must pursue this further…

A rajah of Jodhpur in ceremonial procession c.1820 Marwar style, Rajasthan

The poster supplied, as you enter the selected rooms, reads:
"Indian paintings, whether Rajput, Mughal or even contemporary, are often intimate pictures. This intimacy is evident not only in the subject - seductive themes of love and longing being popular in the Rajput tradition - but also in the manner of their viewing. Indeed, the miniature paintings of the Rajput and Mughal traditions were not hung on walls, but were held in the hand in the way one would hold a treasured book. These miniatures were savoured for all their exquisite details - from the grace of the figures, to the richness of their costume, to the lushness of the landscape. Attention to detail and the narrative quality of these early paintings have continued to inform the work of contemporary artists including Bhupen Khakhar, and more recently Jitish Kallat. These artists are heirs to an essentially unbroken tradition of great antiquity and extraordinary brilliance."

My point exactly.

Marika Bryant

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