Archive for September, 2009
The Various Styles of Indian Paintings
The styles and varieties in paintings from India are as diverse as the country itself. Painting as an art form has flourished in India from pre-historic times as evident from the rock paintings – some of them are older than 5500 BC. Indian Paintings can be broadly classified as the murals & miniatures. Murals are large works executed on the walls of solid structures like caves, temples and walls of palaces. Classic examples are the paintings in Ajantha & Kailasantaha temple while miniature paintings are those executed on a very small scale on perishable material such as paper and cloth etc.
Miniature Painting
The style of miniature painting is believed to be developed in western India during the 16th to 18th century. Most of the miniature paintings were part of manuscripts written at that time to illustrate and explain the subjects of the manuscripts. Prime examples are the Rajasthani & Mughal miniatures. Prime examples are some Jain manusripts, Rajasthani & Mughal miniatures. Though this style had been perfected by artisans under the various rules, not many remain today.
Madhubani Painting
The origins of Madhubani painting are shrouded in antiquity and interesting to know that many believe that this style of painting originated at the time of the Ramayana, when King Janak commissioned artists to do paintings at the time of marriage of his daughter, Sita, with Sri Rama who is considered to be an incarnation of the Hindu God Lord Vishnu. Madhubani painting is a style of uttradi mutt painting, mostly practiced in the Mithila region of Bihar, India.
Rajasthani Painting
Originated in Rajasthan state of India, Rajasthani Painting flourished during the 18th century in the royal courts of Rajputana, India. Each Rajput kingdom evolved a distinct style, but the basic feel remained the same. Several events of epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, Krishna’s life, beautiful landscapes, and humans attracted the painters of this style as these became themes of their paintings. It is said that the preparation of desired colours was a lengthy process, sometimes taking weeks. The colours were extracted from minerals, plants, conch shells, and were even derived by processing precious stones, gold and silver.
Mughal Painting
Mughal paintings were a unique blend of Indian, Persian and Islamic styles. In order to keep visual record of major events during their rule, Mughal Emprerors used to take artists along on military or hunting expeditions, who would depict their royal deeds in form of art.
Mysore Painting
Mysore painting, an important form of classical South Indian painting, originated in the town of Mysore in Karnataka. Known for their elegance, muted colours, and attention to detail, the themes for most of these paintings are Hindu Gods and Goddesses and scenes from Hindu mythology. In modern times, these paintings are exchanged as souvenir during festive occasions in South India.
Tanjore Painting
Native to the town of Tanjore in Tamil Nadu, India, Tanjore painting is an important form of classical South Indian painting. The art form dates back to the early 9th century, a period dominated by the Chola rulers, who encouraged art and literature. The themes of these paintings are mostly Hindu gods and goddesses, and saints as well. Episodes from Hindu tradition and mythology are drawn upon as elaboration to the chief figure(s) placed in the central section of the picture. After the painting is completed, decoration of the jewellery and the apparels in the image is done with semi-precious stones, laces or threads. On top of this, the gold foils are pasted. As a final touch, dyes are used to add colors to the figures in the paintings.
The Bengal School of Art
The Bengal School of Art was an influential style of art that flourished in India during the British Raj in the early 20th century. Though associated with Indian nationalism, the style was also promoted and supported by many British art administrators. The Bengal school arose as an avant garde and nationalist movement reacting against the academic art styles previously promoted in India, both by Indian artists such as Ravi Varma and in British art schools.
Modern Indian Painting
During the colonial era, some artists in India developed a style that used Western ideas of composition, perspective and realism to illustrate Indian themes while others like Jamini Roy, consciously drew inspiration from folk art. By the time of Independence in 1947, many schools of art in India started providing access to modern techniques and ideas. Art Galleries were established to showcase the work of these artists. Modern Indian art typically shows the influence of Western styles, but is often inspired by Indian themes and images.
Arts & Crafts to Improve Your Childs Learning
Posted by admin in Arts Craft on September 29, 2009
Making a craft of any particular form is the way an individual can show creativity in what they are doing. Often you will find that when crafts are made there is a specific purpose in mind, perhaps Christmas or Birthday presents, or just a simple thank you to a friend or relative. Many arts can be inexpensive and the real purpose behind the craft regardless of whether it is practical or for display is to offer something you have created by hand to a person who you think will appreciate the receiving of said craft.
A simple definition of crafts is a project that requires a step by step process to reach the required result. There are a multitude of forms of arts and crafts from paper folding, knitting, sewing, crocheting, beading or painting, the end result is the vision the creator had from the outset. There are many more different forms than these but this gives you an idea on what a craft can be considered. Crafts can give to children great assistance with creative skills allowing the children to learn from something they do and use their own creativity in producing a desired result.
Many crafts of course will require the initial purpose of the items involved, whether you are knitting and require knitting needles, wool and a pattern, or whether you are creating a collage requiring a base board, glue and materials for the collage. Some types of crafts of course will be more expensive to create than others but again this all depends on the purpose of creating the item and the intended recipient for which the craft is made.
Plant Spirit Shamanism: the Art of Pablo Amaringo
Posted by admin in Arts N Humanities on September 29, 2009
The great visionary artist, Pablo Amaringo, was born in 1943 in Puerto Libertad, in the Peruvian Amazon. He was 10 years old when he first took ayahuasca – a visionary brew used in shamanism – to help him overcome a severe heart disease. The magical cure of this ailment via the plants themselves led Pablo toward the life of a shaman, which he pursued successfully for many years, healing himself and others from the age of ten.
In 1977, he gave up his healing work to become a full-time painter and to set up his Usko-Ayar school. Pablo is now widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest visionary artists. His book, Ayahuasca Visions: The Religious Iconography of a Peruvian Shaman, co-authored with Luis Eduardo Luna, was published in 1993 by North Atlantic Books.
In 2006, Pablo wrote the foreword to my book, Plant Spirit Shamanism. After a lifetime spent working with plants and with plant spirit shamanism, what do plants mean to Pablo? This article is from the foreword.
I owe my life to plants and they have informed everything I have done.
From very young I liked to work with plants and I realised that they gave me daily sustenance, not just as foods, but in my soul. I loved and admired them greatly.
The Audience is the Star not the Entertainer
Posted by admin in Entertainment on September 25, 2009
Entertaining can be very rewarding, but it can also feel like a huge responsibility. When anyone takes the stage in front of thousands of fans, there’s a job to do and a lot at stake.
Entertaining is as much as an art form as the music one plays. It takes many years to learn that when a true entertainer takes the stage, that the concert is not about the entertainer, it’s about the people in the audience. The entertainer is not the star, the audience is the star.
For example, for many years I used to take the stage and the first thing I did was to start blasting away and showing off my quick hands at the piano trying to impress the crowds, my fellow musicians, and myself. And it worked, to a certain degree. I have a thick press kit of critics comparing me to the legends but the problem was that it didn’t translate at all into good CD sales. In fact is, the better I got, the slower my sales.
What was happening? I was playing for my own pleasure expecting audiences to dive into that realm with me. Some did, but others became alienated because they just didn’t have the musical knowledge to go there with me. Also, I was playing from ego and not from the heart.
Wedding Reception Entertainment – Choose Wisely
Posted by admin in Entertainment on September 20, 2009
When planning your wedding, what type of entertainment are you coming across as for? A comedian? A clown? A 3-ring circus? Of course not ? you are becoming for high quality entertainment that is tailored to your vision for this once-in-a-lifetime event. Your wedding reception entertainment should tie up all the things you suffer been dreaming of for many, many months.
When it is time to appear for wedding reception entertainment, you need to contemplate many aspects. Cost may seem to be your highest priority at first, but as you weed through the list of considerations, you will need to find someone you belief to keep your special day flowing smoothly. Tacky rhetoric, horrible equipment, or lack of music to please your guests may not ruin your picture-perfect day.
You are able to like a DJ surrounded by a high quality, and guaranteed, sound system. The entertainment have got to provide a wide range of music to offer all your guests music properties are requesting. You like a DJ who will listen to your wishes and make suggestions, not mandates, as to how the reception should flow. You want felt wedding entertainment ? people who appreciate the pitfalls from years of past undergo – and can deal with little ?emergencies’ as they arise with grace and professionalism.
Your DJ/MC will weave all the activities of your reception into a tapestry of memories to be remembered for a lifetime. From the moment you arrive at your reception, your DJ could orchestrate the perfect dance between music, generations, customs, and cultures. Your wedding entertainment is !no! too just ?entertainment’; it is the life-blood of your reception.