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The South
Asian Life & Times - SALT |
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Cover Story
Tech Stories 2011 Adventure &
Sports
Environment
Vishnu - Hinduism's
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SALT Book Picks 2011
Wonder of the Age
Hardcover 224pages, 165 Illustrations; $45 Rs 2100 Ancient and medieval paintings in India have long
been associated with anonymity. There were no known names of artists hidden
amidst the painted interiors of palaces and temples, or murals, or even on
illustrated manuscripts written on birch bark and palm-leaf. The paintings
had dynastic relevance and later, were associated with the atelier or studio
of the patron ruler. The art was nameless.
Wonder of
the Age dispels this myth and has
painstakingly identified and named forty artists, mainly through their
pictorial style and lineages. The first section of the book is devoted to
artists of pre-Mughal era, who worked during the period 1100 and 1500. The
second section includes artists of the Mughal courts. Some of the forty painters
identified in the book were prized painters of their time, who were bestowed
with grand titles by their Mughal patrons.
Akbar
and Jahangir were lovers of art and had their own imperial Mughal workshops.
Lineage provided a crucial link to identify some of the painters. It was not
uncommon for father and son, or brothers to be working in the same Mughal
atelier. Some of the names are familiar and some are making their book
debut. The works, which have been borrowed from museums and
collections throughout the world, are presented chronologically and include
the works of some known names such as Manohar, Abid, Mansur, Balchand,
Payag, Pahari, and Nainsukh. The biography of each painter is complete with
a description of their individual style, and their legacy. Hada Master, the
leading painter of the new Kota school, for example, is distinguished by
figure types and his characteristically robust elephants. His masterwork
remains the portrait of his patron Rao Jagat Singh in a water garden with
his female attendants. The text is a tribute to the scholarship of John Guy
and Jorrit Britschgi – it is an Art thriller! The handsomely produced book,
with superb illustrations, is a collector’s item. |
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