Mahadevi's Emergence from Cosmic Void Lot n° 17

Specifications: Watercolor On Paper Artist Kailash Raj 11 inch X 9.5 inch A combination of astonishing imagination and realistically rendered imagery, the painting revives the 1695 idiom of Basohli art - the pioneer Pahari art style and one that outstood all styles of medieval Indian miniature painting as regarded bold and vigorous forms, sharp lively feature with large eyes, brilliant and discreet palette and over-all splendour. Basohli had early tradition of both, Devi paintings and bold forms, but under its ruler Kirpal Pal Basohli painting had its golden period when not only in its massive volume but also in quality Basohli art attained its all times heights. The period is best known for its Devi painting series and Gita Govinda and Rasamanjari illustrations. The Devi paintings and Rasamanjari illustrations, datable to 1695, mark the beginning of this great era, and the Gita Govinda of 1735, its end. The period is also known as beetle-wing period, as for creating effects of brilliance in jewellery and other parts, painters of the period pasted actual beetle wings in place of colours. The painting is identical to a folio of 1695 Basohli Devi painting series now in Sri Pratap Singh Museum, Srinagar, except in its size and in not using actual beetle wings for defining jewellery. As compared to 17 x 20 cm. size of the earlier, the size of this painting is 24 x 27.5 cm. Though an old theme rendered using an early art idiom, the painting is wondrous in its brilliant craftsmanship and in reviving the past glory, or rather in transporting the 21st century vision to 17th century perception. Summarily, the artist has re-interpreted the age-old myth to a new mind particularly in enhancing its size. The essentially votive icons, Devi image and those of her Shaktis - subordinate powers, required bolder forms and correspondingly larger canvas. More significant is the deletion of the skyline, which in the earlier painting a bl