Varsha...
Varsha
A Celebration of Colours by: Harsha V. DehejiaThis volume, through colours, transcends many a cue of the aesthetic aspects of human life into a connoisseur’s mind. Whether on fabric or canvas, mud wall or floor, sculptures or pots, colours for us is a language, a raga and a tala.
Original price was: ₹1,495.00.₹1,346.00Current price is: ₹1,346.00.
ISBN: 9788124609699
Year Of Publication: 2019
Edition: 1st
Pages : 140
Language : English
Binding : Hardcover
Publisher: D.K. Printworld Pvt. Ltd.
Size: 21 cm.
Weight: 750
Colours are not just for adornment, but a medium that reflects our state of mind, artistic acumen, culture, ethics, philosophy, social values, tradition and the sacredness of life. A non-verbal language, they conjure up our emotions, feelings and moo ds, and take a rasika far beyond the realms of words. In them we see the lush and luxuriant natural world around us, the world of birds and blossoms, earth and sky, gems and stones, creating in us a certain feeling and a gush of powerful ethos.
The artist in Varsha, through colours, transcends many a cue of the aesthetic aspects of human life into a connoisseurs mind. Whether on fabric or canvas, mud wall or floor, sculptures or pots, colours for us is a language, a raga and a tala. And Celebration of Colours is just that.
Involved with her family, Varsha loves art and craft, whether it is painting, embroidery, working with terracotta and ceramic, jewels and the creation of ornaments, crochet and knitting, stitching and designing clothes, or cooking. Absorbed in the world of colour, she likes to share her moment of beauty with everyone around her and spread joy everywhere.
- Sale!Amarushataka Original price was: ₹3,500.00.₹3,150.00Current price is: ₹3,150.00.
Amarushataka is considered to be one of the finest poetic creations in Sanskrit in ancient India and is a watershed development in the genre of Shringara Rasa. We do not know who the poet Amaru was, but a number of legends abound and it is believed that he lived in the seventh century. In Amarus poetic gems love is not measured but experienced, it is not evaluated socially but felt in the deepest recesses of the mind and heart. He paints the varied moods and nuances of love with words that evoke vivid colours and rhythms that are sonorous with music. Amarushataka basks in a sunlit space, fragrant with the aroma of love, brilliant with the hues of a throbbing heart and within the minute compass of the few lines of a verse we are privy to a whole universe of romance. Amarus lovers inhabit a non-descript space, so that our attention is entirely on them and not on the surroundings. Amarus lovers are driven by desire, devoid of guilt, finding their fulfilment in a passionate embrace or a loving gaze. Using traditional Prakrit romantic idioms Amaru prepares us for the feast both for the eyes and the ears that is to follow, for the muktakas of Amaru create an emotionally charged world, where every nuance of romantic love is explored, where the pangs and pleasures, pathos and poignancy, of amorous dalliances are sensitively portrayed, where neither the restraint of dharma nor the restriction of samsara is allowed to interfere with a glorious celebration of love. Whatever its origins, for 1,300 years this work has retained its reputation in India as one of the foundational collections of poetry. Poets and critics still use its verses as a template against which to consider other poems. Such was the impact of Amarushataka, especially in Malwa of the seventeenth century, that it was transformed into miniature paintings in the evocative Malwa style. The one room chamber with strong monochromatic colours and robust figures marks the painting. The book also traces the history of Malwa painting. An interesting side light of the book is an attempt to demonstrate that the verses of Amaru were also perhaps responsible for amorous sculptures in Khajuraho and other temples. The book is richly illustrated, has the verses of Amaru in Sanskrit and English and is a source book of Shringara Rasa for scholars and students alike.
- Sale!Amulets and Pendants in Ancient Maharashtra (3rd c. bc to 3rd c. ce) Original price was: ₹220.00.₹198.00Current price is: ₹198.00.
The book documents Indias rich tradition of ornamentation as reflected in its numerous and varied collection of amulets and pendants recovered from archaeological excavations in Maharashtra. It studies the significance of these ornaments as a visible expression of the artistic excellence and cultural wealth of the ancient Indian civilisation particularly at the time of the great Mauryan and Satvahana dynasties. Discussing the evolution of these portable charms against their socio-economic and religious background, the authoress examines the different types of amulets and pendants excavated, the techniques used in making them, their parallels in literary and sculptural representations, and Buddhist influence on them. Giving insights into the sources of raw materials used in these charms, she takes up in detail the trade relations of a specific site with other contemporary sites. With a number of figures and maps, the work promises to be useful to both scholars and students of Indology focussing on facets of Indian culture.
- Sale!Absence of the Buddha Image in Early Buddhist Art Original price was: ₹1,500.00.₹1,350.00Current price is: ₹1,350.00.
It is next to impossible today to even think of Buddhism without the presence of the Buddha image! The image of the Buddha, in truth, has not only come to symbolise the essence of Buddhism but is also a brilliant expression of the cultural/artistic achievements of the Buddhists since ancient times. Surprisingly, the Buddha image developed at a later stage of the evolutionary process; after the parinirvana of the Buddha, the Buddhists for a considerable time beheld the Buddha and experienced him in their own minds without taking recourse to the Buddha image itself. In Absence of the Buddha Image in Early Buddhist Art, Dr. Tanaka, a well-versed scholar, has for the first time ever explored the absence of the Buddha image in Buddhist art particularly in the period from third century bc to late first century ad in order to rediscover the significance of this phenomenon. Dr. Tanaka observes Bharhut and Sanchi sculptures to point out the most essential motifs and elements of stupa-art design the visible facts pertaining to the absence of the Buddha image. The author studies the religious, philosophical, artistic and political significance of the visible facts, highlighting the concept of the empty throne as the motif representative of that absence. She applies the empty throne concept to the sanctuaries of monotheistic religions, and thus undertakes a comparative study of Buddhism and other religions, particularly, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Sikhism to suggest that present-day discussions on the linkage between religions can centre on this theme. The dexterous handling of the topic combined with the authors use of first-hand research material makes this an erudite study. The directness in the authors approach and the unwavering eye on the theme sustains the interest throughout. An abundance of visual material, i.e., drawings and photographs, and tables immensely aid in analysis of the visible facts. This intense work on a rich theme offers well-researched and interesting material that will be useful to scholars of religious studies, fine arts and even philosophy.
- Sale!Akbar, The Aesthete Original price was: ₹4,800.00.₹4,320.00Current price is: ₹4,320.00.
Mughal miniatures are a vivid account of the cultural, sociopolitical scenario of the Mughal era. Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Akbar, the most powerful Mughal emperor, was a great aesthete and promoter of arts. Eminent Persian and Indian artists thronged his Royal Studio and were encouraged to paint numerous emotive miniatures of style and substance, communicating highly complex narratives. These miniatures are a beautiful manifestation of human expressions, vividly encapsulating moments of history for posterity.
This book combines the sources and methodology of history and art history of the Mughal era, and is an analysis of a select group of paintings of Akbar’s reign. The miniature paintings incorporate a wide variety of rich, vibrant and varied themes, ranging from durbar scenes, depicting Akbar in different moods and forms, the princes and nobles in their finery, hunting and battle scenes, elaborate scenes of royal births, construction scenes, ascetics, common man, and countryside scenes, to the flora and fauna. Individual analyses of these miniatures, shows the manner of their composition and the inherent value of their sociocultural content in a lively manner. These paintings became a passion and a diversion for Akbar, who had an innate aesthetic sense.
However, there are hardly any true-to-life paintings of women of the royal seraglio. This book thus attempts to cover some images of femininity, whether it is of Queen Alanquwa, Akbar’s mother, or of Madonna as sacred mothers, and women, per se, in different roles. These miniatures make one wonder how much these women contributed to the life of Mughal India.
This unique volume, having given transliteration and translation of the original Persian text of the miniatures, provides an insight into Akbar as an aesthete, and will help academics and laymen alike in appreciating the beauty and history of Akbar’s period. - Sale!Ardhanarisvara in Art and Literature Original price was: ₹1,800.00.₹1,620.00Current price is: ₹1,620.00.
The scholarly work throws light on the artistic, aesthetic, literary and philosophical aspects of the Ardhanarishvara form of Shiva the form which is a divine expression of the amalgamation of the male and the female and is said to contain the whole world in it. Providing a conceptual and historical back-ground of the doctrines relating to Shiva and Shakti worship it involves an iconographical study of the Ardhanarishvara image, with the focus on its dress, ornaments, coiffure, posture and other features. With many visuals of the Ardhanarishvara images even the unpublished ones, it describes the images found in different parts of India and discusses the emergence of the deity relying on literary sources and theories. Explaining how the idea and actual representation of the unity of Shiva and Shakti came to acquire supreme importance with the growth of sects each worshipping the deity in its own form, Dr. Yadav points out that the Ardhanarishvara aspect is basically the output of the Tantra philosophy. Providing maps and line-drawings and a list of the places that have yielded Ardhanarishvara images, she makes an interesting and indepth analysis, based on extensive field-work, to come up with some brilliant and new explanations of the meaning and implications of the Ardhanarishvara.
