The Spirit of Indian Painting: Close Encounters with 101 Great Works 1100-1900

by B. N. Goswamy

Overview

“Wonderful . . . A book to make both layman and connoisseur alike realize why pre-modern Indian painting is one of the great arts of the world.” —Neil MacGregor

Through close encounters with over a hundred carefully selected works, spanning nearly a thousand years, and ranging from Jain manuscripts and Pahari and Mughal miniatures to Company School paintings, B. N. Goswamy unlocks the many treasures that lie within Indian painting. In an illuminating introduction, and as Goswamy relates the stories behind each work and deciphers the visual vocabulary and language of the painters, he brings to life the cultural, social, and political milieu in which they were created. Lavishly illustrated, and combining erudition with great storytelling, The Spirit of Indian Painting reveals the beauty of this richly varied body of work in a new and brilliant light.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780500239506
Publisher:	Thames & Hudson
Publication date:	08/16/2016
Pages:	584
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 9.40(h) x 2.00(d)

About the Author

B. N. Goswamy is a leading historian on Indian art. He has taught at several universities in India and abroad, and curated major exhibitions of Indian art at the world’s leading museums.

Table of Contents

A Layered World 3

Close Encounters with 101 Great Works 119

Visions

1 Hiranyagarbha: The Cosmic Egg 125

2 A Bodhisattva, Possibly Ratnapani 129

3 The Goddess Green Tara Dispenses Boons 133

4 The Heavenly Court of Indra 137

5 Rival Armies Meet across the River 141

6 Krishna Subdues Trinavarta, the Whirlwind Demon 145

7 Umar Slavs a Dragon with Naphtha 149

9 The Prophet Ilyas Rescues a Prince 153

9 The Great Goddess in Her Chamunda Form 157

10 Neptune, Lord of the Seas 161

11 The Speaking Tree 165

12 The Virgin and Child 169

13 The Goddess Saraswati Enthroned 173

14 The House of Bijapur 177

15 Rama, Sita and Lakshmana in Exile 181

16 King Kamsa in His inner Apartments 185

17 Kamsa Attempts to Kill the Newborn Child 189

18 The Celestial Chariot 193

19 Krishna Lifting the Mount Govardhan 197

20 The Devi Rides in State 201

21 Shiva, Ever Solicitous of His Other Half 205

22 Shiva and Parvati among the Clouds 209

23 India Dancing 213

24 Meru, the Golden Mountain 217

25 Vasudeva Takes the Infant Krishna across the Yamuna River 221

20 The Great Goddess Battles the Demons 225

27 Rasamandala: The Eternal Dance 229

28 The House of the Pandavas Is Set on Fire 233

29 The Emergence of Varaha: Boar Incarnation of Vishnu 237

30 A Boat Adrift on a River 241

33 The Devi Diagram 245

32 Rama, Sita and Lakshmana Cross the Ganga 249

33 King Dasharatha's Cremation 253

34 Shiva and His family 257

35 Vishvarupa: The Cosmic Form of Krishna 261

36 Krishna Storms the Citadel of Narakasura 265

37 Three Aspects of the Absolute 269

Observation

38 A Chameleon 275

39 Teamed Disputations between Jam Monks 279

40 Portrait of the Emperor Akbar 283

41 A Young Scholar 287

42 Two Camels Fighting 291

43 'When the Lamp of Life Is Extinguished' 295

44 Perils of the Hunt 299

45 A Mine Explodes during the Siege of Chittor 303

46 Ibrahim Adil Shah Hawking 307

47 Sultan Ibrahim Adil Shah II 311

48 An Old Sufi 315

49 Jahangir with a Portrait of Akbar 319

50 Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Shaikh to Kings 323

51 Jahangir Takes Aim at Poverty 327

52 The Emperor Jahangir Giving Audience 331

53 Two Tulips and an Iris 335

54 The Dying Man: Inayat Khan 339

55 Jahangir Receives Prince Khurram 343

56 The Capture and Death of Khan Jahan Lodi 347

57 An Encampment in the Hills 351

58 The Rao of Kutch's Procession outside Anjar 355

59 Raja Sidh Sen of Mandi: An informal Portrait 359

60 Raja Balwant Singh Examining a Fainting with Nainsukh 363

61 Villagers around a Fire 367

62 The Krishna Story Enacted: The Rasalila Continues in the Mewar Royal Palace 371

63 A Royal Tiger Hunt 375

64 Rao Ram Singh I of Kota Pursuing a Rhinoceros 379

65 Rawat Gokul Das of Deogarh at Singh Sagar 383

66 Two Portraits of Kala, the Sepoy 387

67 Maharaja Narinder Singh of Patiala in Procession 391

68 Portrait of a Priestly Figure 395

69 A Lady of Rank 399

70 A Group of Courtesans 403

Passion

71 An Elopement 409

72 Longing and Union 413

73 Remembering That Fawn-Eyed Beauty 417

74 The Musical Mode Gaudi Ragini 421

75 Raga Vasanta 425

76 Radha and Krishna Exchanging Roles 429

77 Gazing Fondly into the Mirror 433

78 The Longings of Love 437

79 Distraught Krishna 441

80 A Glimpse of the Loved One 445

81 The Bower of Quiet Passion 449

82 The Boat of Love 453

83 To Set Out with Eagerness: The Abhisarika Heroine 457

84 'Unending Passion': The Raupriya Heroine 461

85 'As Desire Rises' 465

86 'Abashed at Her Delight: of Her Deep Joy Afraid' 469

87 The Pavilion of Love 473

88 Re-enacting Krishna's Marvellous Deeds 477

89 Nala Enters Damayanti's Apartments 481

90 Glimpsing the Beloved and Pining for Her: Princes Long for the Beauteous Lavanyavati 485

91 Two Lovers 489

92 In the Role of Krishna 493

Contemplation

93 Intimations of Mortality 499

94 Five Holy Men 503

95 A Gathering of Sufis 507

96 Meditating Dervish 511

97 A Yogini 515

98 Saptarishi: The Seven Sages 519

99 Maharao Kishor Singh of Kota Celebrating a Religious Festival 523

100 The Sufi Saint Shah Sharf 'Bu Ali' Qalandar 527

101 A Priestly Figure Seated 531

Author's Acknowledgements 535

Publisher's Acknowledgements 536

Image Credits 537

Glossary 539

Further Reading 556

Index 561

Editorial Reviews

"Will provide 101 nights of captivating reading… The text is wonderful [and] Goswamy weaves a brilliant analysis of each painting into a tale of personalities of painter and patron, time and place, and of emotional reaction evoked by thin layers of pigment. Each essay stands by itself, and the book can be opened anywhere and read with ease."

Libary Journal

08/01/2016
The art of the Indian subcontinent is not as well known in the United States as it should be. Perhaps it is the complex religious base of the work, or that India's trade and colonial ties led to Europe rather than America. Two very different volumes offer an appreciation of Indian art that can deepen our knowledge and provide glimpses of the cultures and artists that created colorful and richly detailed paintings and sculpture.Puja and Piety is a lushly illustrated catalog of an exhibition at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art that includes 150 Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist artworks and provides four long essays explaining the various religions, setting the artworks within their cultural frameworks. There are no examples of Muslim or tribal art. The focus of the essays is on puja, the practice of veneration with offerings as the three religions use it to inspire art. An introduction by art historian and curator Pal opens the volume, with art experts' carefully written, accessible essays that are copiously illustrated with photographs of temples and ceremonies in India.The Spirit of Indian Painting is more devoted to text than illustration. The 101 paintings are printed well, but the matte paper and their small size are suboptimal. That said, the text is wonderful. Goswamy (emeritus, art history, Panjab Univ.; Essence of Indian Art) weaves a brilliant analysis of each painting into a tale of personalities of painter and patron, time and place, and of emotional reaction evoked by thin layers of pigment. Although there are links within schools of painting, each essay stands by itself, and the book can be opened anywhere and read with ease. VERDICT Puja and Piety is a beautiful and rewarding introduction to the religious aspects of some Indian art while The Spirit of Indian Painting will provide 101 nights of captivating reading.—David McClelland, Andover, NY

Library Journal