Mumbai artist’s ‘Menstruating Durga’ hurts religious sentiments, but has its supporters

STORYPICK
By Jinal Bhatt

Aniket Mitra’s ‘Menstruating Durga’

MUMBAI---The taboo on menstruation in still quite rampant in this day and age. Still deemed to be unclean, unhealthy and a matter of embarrassment as opposed to a natural bodily function that heralds fertility in a woman. Mumbai-based artist Aniket Mitra has attempted to address this very taboo on menstruation and celebrate womanhood with his latest artwork. The picture is that of a sanitary napkin with a bloodied lotus on it. Mitra’s artwork has been condemned by many as ‘hurting religious sentiments’. A complaint was posted on Kolkata police’s Facebook page, following which Mitra had to take down the post from Facebook. However, the artwork has found its own band of supporters too, particularly women, who have lauded Mitra’s bold message. [More]

Books: Belief is back: why the world is putting its faith in religion

THE GUARDIAN
By Neil MacGregor

‘There is no God,’ says Yuri Gagarin in this 1975 Soviet propaganda poster … The Road is Wider Without God/God Doesn’t Exist by Vladimir Menshikov Photograph: The State Museum of the History of Religion, St Petersburg, Russia

In the 1970s, most politicians in the US and western Europe, as in the USSR, broadly believed that scientific advance, material progress and growing prosperity would lead to the continuing retreat of faith from the public realm. All that has changed. Russia now defines itself loudly and proudly as Orthodox. Putin is ostentatiously devout. Even the KGB has its own church. The whole of the Middle East is caught up in murderous conflicts that are articulated and fought out in religious as much as economic terms. India, whose constitution enshrines the state’s equidistance from all religions, is convulsed by calls for the government to assert an explicitly Hindu identity, with grave consequences for the hundreds of millions of Indians who are Muslims, Christians or belong to other faiths. [More]

In pursuit of an idol smuggler

THE HINDU
By S. Vijay Kumar

In 2011, a celebrated New York-based art dealer, Subhash Kapoor, was detained in Germany for art theft, particularly of idols from temples in Suthamalli and Sripuranthan in Tamil Nadu. He was extradited the next year to India and now awaits trial in Chennai. After his arrest, the American authorities recovered stolen Indian art worth $100 million from his warehouses and galleries, and named him “one of the most prolific commodities smugglers in the world”. Kapoor was helped by Sanjeevi Asokan, an art dealer based out of Chennai who supplied the idols. As S. Vijay Kumar, a Singapore-based finance and shipping expert, writes in The Idol Thief, Kapoor’s “arrest caused an earthquake in the art world, the tremors of which are still being felt”. [More]

Madhvi Pareh's people, gods and demons or even plants

THE HINDU
By Tejal Pandey

Veteran modernist artist Madhvi Parekh’s first Mumbai retrospective is reflective of a relentless pursuit of painting and passion

Madhvi Parekh’s works segue into a parallel universe. A world of fantasy, where the strange and the familiar co-exist with the real and the surreal. Where man and nature become one. With faces assigned to each — people, gods and demons or even plants, animals, stars, every personified being in Parekh’s canvas, tells a tale rich in colour and texture. Her renderings are at once figments of her own imagination, as also pastiches of myriad Indian art forms. From the dotted surfaces of her earlier work, which resemble intricate Kantha thread-work or the patterns on a Kalamkari fabric, to the geometric forms akin to Gond or Madhubani folk art, her work revels in its rural leanings. It’s also evocative of our tradition of storytelling through art, seen so often in miniatures, patachitras and phads. [More]

The profound eloquence of Odissi dance

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Alastair Macaulay

Ms. Mudgal’s acting is wonderfully eloquent, entirely stylized, utterly convincing.CreditAndrea Mohin/The New York Times

Radha, goddess and lover, consumed by love for Krishna, has awaited his arrival all night long. But when he comes, his eyes are heavy with sleepiness and his lips are dark with kohl from the eyes of another woman. Radha disregards his excuses. She tells him to leave her alone. Radha here is Arushi Mudgal. And her dance monologue, “Ashtapadi — Yahi Madhava,” is taken from a 12th-century Sanskrit poem, the Gita Govinda, by Jayadeva. The item — perhaps seven minutes long — was part of Ms. Mudgal’s 90-minute solo recital on Monday at La MaMa, the opening dance event of Drive East, New York’s annual festival of Indian dance and music. The genre practiced by Ms. Mudgal is Odissi, deriving from the temple-dense Odisha or Orissa on India’s eastern coast. [More]

Andhra Pradesh's Savara tribal art gasps for survival

THE HINDU 

A Savara tribal artist with Edisinge art at Addakulaguda hamlet in Srikakulam district. | Photo Credit: BYARRANGEMENT

The Savara tribal art — Edisinge — that once flourished in the Eastern Ghats, is on the verge of extinction owing to the change in the religious profile and lifestyle of the community. Until 2011, the number of Edisinge artists was below 15 in Srikakulam district, home to the Savara tribe in Andhra Pradesh, with a population of above 1.05 lakh. “We started the Savara Art Society in 2011 to revive our art as some of the surviving artists are too old to practise it,” Savara Raju of Addakulaguda hamlet told The Hindu over phone. Mr. Raju, 26, who inherited the art from his father China Sumburu, trained a batch of 30 youths of their tribe through the SAS, but barely three are now actively practising it. [More]

Artist Tapan Dash's impressions of the mind

THE HINDU

PONTANEOUS APPROACH: A painting by Tapan Dash

There is no direct reference to the popular Jagannath Temple in Puri in Tapan Dash’s solo show ‘Expressions of Inner Journeys’. But indirect references to one of the char-dham pilgrimages are abundant in the colourful figurative paintings. The elephants are a recurring motif and so are priests who can easily be identified by a broad patch of ‘tilak’ on their foreheads. An image of a goddess and walloping horses also appear in some of the canvases. The Delhi-based artist admits he has deliberately refrained from having a direct link. “The works are a recollection of my thoughts and what I observed in the temple. I have borrowed from my faded memories to create a body of works which also hints at a spiritual journey,” says Tapan. [More]

Mural art paintings from Kerala on display in the city

THE HINDU

Vishnu Vikraman and Rajesh Pulappatta bring alive mural art in both traditional and contemporary paintings at Art Houz

Master carpenter Perumthachan, an important figure in Kerala folklore, stares out of many mural paintings displayed at Art Houz gallery. Artist Vishnu Vikraman has dedicated his series to the legend of Perumthachan who is believed to have killed his own son out of jealousy. “There are many tellings of this story, but my version is based on K B Sreedevi’s novel Agnihothram. Perumthachan’s story continues to be source of artistic expression,” says Vikraman. One painting shows Perumthachan at work, and the others highlight the scenes where Kannan (his son) learns the art from his father. Kannan earns praise from the King and the public, and one sees the growing jealousy on Perumthachan’s face in the paintings. The final painting shows Perumthachan dropping his chisel that falls on his son and kills him!”[More]

The meaning of monsoon clouds in Hindu imagination

THE HINDU
By Navina Ja

"In sync with season" - A miniature painting showing Krishna enjoying Megh Malhar

The fever of monsoon has captivated the Indian imagination for centuries. From films to a large number of social and cultural gatherings aspire to celebrate the sensuality associated with the meteorological phenomenon. It is fascinating to trace the manner in which Indian texts on arts have visualised, the monsoons as audio-visual experiences which became guidelines for individual artists and community celebrations represented inrepositories of famous compositions. Years ago, while researching the cultural heritage of Varanasi, Ustad Bismillah Khan described the mood of monsoons and ended with playfully singing in my ear,“The rain clouds gathered, there was buzz that the famous sail parties (as monsoon stag picnics were called locally) were organised by the merchant elites of Benaras around small waterfalls, ponds and garden homes were on. [More]

Taj Mahal at center of efforts to erase India’s Muslim heritage

ARAB NEWS
By Zaid M. Belbagi

A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Hindu nationalist party and the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is controversial. Now in the highest office of state, his government has doggedly pursued Hindu nationalist policies, seeking to tear apart India’s diverse cultural and religious fabric. The 17th-century architectural marvel of the Taj Majal has found itself at the center of these debates. Built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, questions over whether it is a tomb or a temple, its ownership, its cultural significance and its upkeep have contributed to the 400-year-old monument being dragged into court cases over some of these issues. To add fuel to the fire, Surendra Singh, a legislator from the ruling nationalist party, has declared that the great Moghal mausoleum — one of the seven wonders of the modern world — should be renamed after the Hindu deities Ram or Krishna. [More]

How Indian museums can harness power of technology for art authenticity

THE BUSINESS LINE

National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai

MUMBAI, India---Indian museums house an enviable range of collections of art and cultural objects spanning the vast history of India. Such collections, however, are poorly documented making them vulnerable to possibilities of theft or illicit culture trafficking. The recent case of the Chola Bronze of dancing Shiva which was stolen and smuggled out of India, and then sold to the National Gallery of Australia is a case in point. The statue has since been returned after India established its provenance and requested the government of Australia. Application of new technological tools to document museum collections can help a great deal in establishing art authenticity.[More]

Victoria Hindu Temple opens doors to public for Cultural and Arts Festival of India

CHEK NEWS

Victoria Hindu Temple. Victoria Hindu Parishad And Cultural Center

The Victoria Hindu Temple opened its doors on Saturday and showcased everything from Bollywood dancing to Indian street food to the public. Hosted by the India Canada Cultural Association the theme this year for the Cultural and Arts Festival of India was “Fairs, Festivals and Food!” Admission was free and along with popular dishes the public enjoyed a variety of activities like Bollywood dance lessons and sari and turban tying. “We’ve opened our doors to welcome all to come and share the beauty and joy of india, of canada on this Canada day long weekend,” said Sri Ganti of the Victoria Hindu Parishad And Cultural Center. “It’s a cultural art festival where we’d like to share the history, the heritage, the culture, the arts, the beauty, the flavours, and the sounds, the rhythms of india with everybody here.” [More]

Caravan promotes collecting your own peace building artwork by a premier Arab, Persian or Jewish artist

CARAVAN

"Bridging Pardes" by Siona Benjamin. 60 cm x 80 cm Gouache, mixed media and 22 K gold leaf on wood panel

Caravan's "Beyond Bridges" international touring exhibition has been showcased in Paris, Cairo, London, Metz, New York, Chicago, Spokane, Portland, Wyoming, Florida and throughout the US. Now that the tour has come to a close, the public can now become an “ambassador of peace” by purchasing one of these profound artworks. In Caravan's exhibition, 21 Arab, Persian and Jewish artists of Christian, Muslim and Jewish faith backgrounds are focusing on what they hold in common through their cultures and creeds. New Jersey-based Siona Benjamin is one of the 21 artists. The painter is originally from Bombay, though now living in the US. Her work reflects her background of being brought up Jewish in a predominantly Hindu and Muslim India. [Purchase]

The Kashmiri art bringing Hindus and Muslims together

BBC NEWS

A self portrait by artist Chushool Mahaldar titled Struggling Smile

An art exhibition bringing together Hindu artists - who had to flee Indian-administered Kashmir - with their Muslim counterparts has struck an emotional chord with locals, reports Sameer Yasir. Avtar Krishan Raina, a Kashmiri Hindu or Pandit, has returned to the home he fled for the first time since he left in 1990 in order to participate in a unique exhibition that has brought artists and sculptors from his community together with Muslim artists. Mr Raina is one of an estimated 200,000 people in his community who were forced to leave the state in the early 1990s under threat from Muslim militants who had initiated a violent insurgency against Indian rule in the region. One day, he says, he came home to find that separatist militants had stuck a poster outside his home. It demanded that he poison his dog, which barked whenever they were around. [More]

‘Epic Tales From Ancient India’ Art Review: Stories told in all their pplendor

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
By Lee Lawrence

The Birth of Krishna’ (before 1560) The San Diego Museum of Art; Edwin Binney 3rd Collection. Series Title: The Ancient Text of the Lord Suite Name: Bhagavata Purana Creation Date: before 1560 Display Dimensions: 7 17/32 in. x 10 7/16 in. (19.1 cm x 26.5 cm) Credit Line: Edwin Binney 3rd Collection Accession Number: 1990.585

SAN DIEGO, CA---Back in 1990, the San Diego Museum of Art received more than 1,400 works representing just about every school, region and style of South Asian painting. Bequeathed by Edward Binney 3rd, heir to the Crayola fortune, it is one of the best collections of its kind outside India. Currently, a selection of some 90 works from the late 16th through 19th centuries takes in everything from rambunctious battles against enemies human and demonic to quiet, tender love scenes. [More]

2018 Spring fundraising campaign for Religion News Service

RELIGION NEWS SERVICE

Since 1934, Religion News Service has shed light on the most meaningful issues of the day. As the only nonprofit news agency devoted to unbiased, nonsectarian coverage of religion, spirituality, ethics and culture, our reporting aims to educate, inform and cultivate understanding among people of different faiths and traditions around the world. Through donations large and small, your support ensures that our award-winning team of journalists can keep bringing you objective reporting and insightful commentary for months and years to come. We have faith in you, our subscribers and readers. By supporting our June 2018 fundraising campaign with a gift today, you can show your faith in us. [DONATE]

Olivia Fraser's thousand splendid lotuses

THE INDIAN EXPRESS
By Pallavi Chattopadhyay

The idea of “looking into someone’s soul” ensured that the painting session was not a dominant process of creation and allowed her to share an equal relationship with the protagonists in her work. (Vicky Luthra)

Long before Scottish artist Olivia Fraser gave Indian miniatures a contemporary twist by using the lotus flower, and hands and feet as central motifs, she would frequently paint people on the streets — labourers toiling away and folk musicians during performances in Rajasthan — using western watercolour techniques. She’d wait for them to catch her stare. Although the Delhi-based artist does not paint people anymore, she continues to paint eyes. The result rests in London’s Grosvenor Gallery as part of her exhibition ‘The Lotus Within’, where large eyes stare at the viewer in Darshan II, with the iris shaped in the form of Fraser’s favourite subject, the lotus. [More]

Remembering M.F. Husain, the godfather of modern Indian art

QRIUS
By Prachi Mahima

Amplessi (Embrace) (1950) by M.F. Husain. Credit: Flickr Commons

It has been seven years since Maqbool Fida Husain, the revolutionary painter who brought about a new era in modern Indian art, died. Born on September 17, 1915 in Pandharpur, Maharashtra, to a Sulaymani Bohra family. A man of revolutionary ideas, Hussain’s aesthetics were inspired by the new freedom from the shackles of English dominance after two complete centuries. The theme of his paintings was diverse, ranging from Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa, to the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and even British rule. Among the most interesting aspects of his work was the theme of womanhood that he explored in a many of his paintings in the form of depicting Hindu goddesses or the traditional Indian woman. [More]

San Diego Museum of Art features works of Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

Purkhu Purkhu, The friend urges Radha to abandon her pride, ca. 1820. Opaque watercolor and gold on paper. The San Diego Museum of Art; Edwin Binney 3rd Collection. 1990.1296.

SAN DIEGO---The San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) is presenting “Art of South and Southeast Asia” of works ranging in date from the first to the nineteenth century AD including Sri Devi (ca 1100), Standing Bodhisattva (3rd century), and Purkhu (ca. 1820). The earliest works are mostly religious, relating to the ritual practices of Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism. Although each religion has a distinct set of gods and divinities, all three based the iconography of these figures on the human form. Buddhism spread along the Silk Road moving west to Pakistan and Central Asia, and east to China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia.

Upset Hindus urge Swedish firm to withdraw Lord Ganesh bikinis & apologize

PUNJAB NEWS EXPRESS

Upset Hindus are urging Skurup (Sweden) based fashion-clothing firm Creative Minds Petrahs Art for immediate withdrawal of bikinis, leggings, shorts, skirts, socks, swimsuits and towels; carrying the images of Hindu deities Ganesh, Kali and Shiva; calling these highly inappropriate. Hinduism was the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1.1 billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken frivolously. Symbols of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be mishandled, Rajan Zed noted. [More]