Art Articles

Culture and Society » Art | By Victor Epand @ Friday, 26th December 2008 @ 5:55 PM

Coloring is more than a visual proposition in sacred Buddhist painting. In fact, the five basic colors are white, yellow, red, black, and green, which all have a different symbolic meaning. Black symbolizes killing and anger. White denotes rest and repose. Yellow stands for restraint and nourishment. Red is indicative of subjugation, while green is the known hue of exorcising practices. The palette of the Thangka painters has been classified into seven father colors and one mother color. ... more...

Culture and Society » Art | By Victor Epand @ Wednesday, 24th December 2008 @ 11:24 AM

Tradition associates Lakshmi with Kubera, who was the ugly lord of the Yakshas, which was a race of supernatural creatures that lived outside the pale of civilization. Their connection with Lakshmi springs from the fact that they were noted for a propensity for collecting, guarding, and distributing wealth. Association with Kubera deepens the aura of mystery and underworld connections that attaches itself to Lakshmi. Yakshas are symbolic of fertility. The female Yakshas depicted are full ... more...

Culture and Society » Art | By Victor Epand @ Wednesday, 24th December 2008 @ 11:03 AM

Accuracy achieved by well defined outlines and the rendering of maximum detail are the chief characteristics of Mughal studies of nature. Attention is paid to the use of pigments that reflect the actual color of the subject. No one can fail to admire the observation of the artists, which other characteristic of physical features of the various birds and animals include the hair, ears, eyes, tail, fur, or plumage. These are also realistically depicted so that individuals can identify the s... more...

Culture and Society » Art | By Anna Stenning @ Monday, 22nd December 2008 @ 4:33 PM

Working with ceramics and creating well designed pots is an art form that is not exclusive to Western Europe, but sees a large production in places such as Kabul, Afghanistan. Unusual as it may seem to see this country as a potential place for exquisite pottery, this is something that has been practised for many years despite its war torn history. Whilst many of its land remain damaged, many more of its areas are currently under reconstruction, constructing taller buildings and the struggle for ... more...

Culture and Society » Art | By Victor Epand @ Saturday, 20th December 2008 @ 9:18 AM

Kali\'s nudity has a similar meaning and in many instances, she is described as garbed in space or sky clad. In her absolute, primordial nakedness, she is free from all covering of illusion. She is nature, which has been stripped of clothes. It symbolizes that she is completely beyond name and form, as well as the illusory effects of maya, which means false consciousness. Her nudity is said to represent totally illumined consciousness, which unaffected by maya. Kali is the bright fir... more...

Culture and Society » Art | By Victor Epand @ Friday, 19th December 2008 @ 8:59 PM

The tradition of art in India visualizes the love adventures of gods and their female friends, because it acknowledges that sex is the supreme fact in life, which provides the urge to procreate and maintain the species. This is concealed like lightning in a dark cloud, and in its glow is the birth of art, literature, and science. The sexual union among two lovers is the most exalted experience in life and in mutual ecstasy the liberation of the soul from the narrow self takes place. This ... more...

Culture and Society » Art | By Victor Epand @ Thursday, 18th December 2008 @ 11:53 AM

Like Ravana of the Ramayana, the heroes and heroines of in movies today have a fatal flaw. The Ramayana is an ancient Vedic saga of action, romance, wisdom, and adventure. This saga has inspired a quarter of the world\'s population for the millennium that depicts a past when beings of celestial might, who were both divine and demoniac, interacted on our terrestrial realm. It is also a saga of the struggle between good and the evil, in which God descends and teaches virtue, righteousn... more...

Culture and Society » Art | By Victor Epand @ Thursday, 18th December 2008 @ 4:43 AM

Hindu women who live in villages near the market town of Madhubani in northern India, maintain old traditions and teach them to their daughters. Painting is one of the traditional skills that is passed down from generation to generation in the families of some of the women. They paint figures from nature and myth on household and village walls to mark the seasonal festivals of the religious year, for special events of the life cycle, and when marriages are being arranged they prepare intr... more...

Culture and Society » Art | By Victor Epand @ Thursday, 18th December 2008 @ 1:48 AM

A Thangka is a painted or embroidered banner, which is hung in a monastery or a family altar, then it is carried by lamas in ceremonial processions. In Tibetan, the word than means flat, and the suffix ka stands for painting. The Thangka is a type of painting that is done on a flat surface, but can be rolled up when it is not required for display. The most common shape of a Thangka is an upright rectangular form. However, you can also find horizontal oblong banners that were influenced by... more...

Culture and Society » Art | By Victor Epand @ Wednesday, 17th December 2008 @ 1:52 PM

One observation of this etching is that it appears that the musician is wearing around his right ear, a small pushpa mala, which is a flower garland, and holding a khol, or a mridanga drum. This would most likely have been an offering to a small murti of Krishna and is worn as prasad or a blessing. However, due to its small size, such a garland is sometimes worn around the ear. Although, many people look upon this instrument as sacred, which is often seen, especially in their religious fe... more...