Research Catalog

The Gita : Mewari miniature painting (1680-1698) by Allah Baksh

Title
The Gita : Mewari miniature painting (1680-1698) by Allah Baksh / Alok Bhalla ; [Hindi translation], Chandra Prakash Deval.
Author
Bhalla, Alok
Publication
New Delhi, India : Niyogi Books, 2019.

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TextUse in library ND1337.I42 A453 2019Off-site

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Additional Authors
  • Devala, Candraprakāsa, 1949-
  • Allah Baksh, active 1680-1698.
Description
483 pages, 1 unnumbered page : illustrations (color); 25 cm
Summary
The miniature paintings of the Gita by Allah Baksh, published in this volume for the first time, are from the late 17th century Mewar. Commissioned by Udaipur's Maharana Jai Singh, these paintings of the Gita are part of an illustrated Mahabharata folio of more than 4,000 works. Allah Baksh's luminous work on the Gita has no precedent in India's art tradition. He has illustrated Krishna's ecstatic song, verse by abstract verse. His images, meditative and unostentatious, are free from both heroic posturing and spiritual pride. Their colors are clear and luminous; their lines are restrained and precise. The folio reveals an artist for whom the Gita is a magnificent conversation between man and God about the pity and the sorrow of war. Alok Bhalla's commentary on the relationship between the paintings and the verses of the Gita is richly nuanced and imaginative. He challenges us to think about how artists have interpreted India's sacred texts in radically new ways. Bhalla argues that these miniature paintings are not mere illustrations of Krishna's divine discourse and that Allah Baksh's work is a morally significant visual guide to the Gita, as each painting is a unique moment of revelation. Chandra Prakash Deval's fine translation of the Gita from Mewari into Hindi is a valuable addition to our understanding of the history of cultural exchange between the different regions and languages of India.
Uniform Title
  • Bhagavadgītā. Hindi
  • Bhagavadgītā. English
Subject
  • Allah Baksh, active 1680-1698 > Criticism and interpretation
  • Krishna (Hindu deity) > Art
  • Bhagavadgītā > Illustrations
  • Miniature painting, Indic > Rajasthan
  • Mewar painting
  • Miniature painting, Indic
Genre/Form
  • Criticism, interpretation, etc.
  • Art.
  • Illustrated works.
Language (note)
  • English and Hindi.
ISBN
  • 9789386906939
  • 9386906937
LCCN
2019347344
OCLC
  • on1124515238
  • SCSB-14408680
Owning Institutions
Princeton University Library