Surya- Kangra Painting

Price inclusive of GST

This painting of the Vedic diety Surya, is made in the Kangra school of Pahari Painting now surviving in a small town in Himachal Pradesh. 

Made by one of the last remaining practitioners of this subset of painting, it is done on Basli paper- a handmade paper treated with copper that resists decay or infection. It is painted in stone ground and naturally extracted colours (White from lime, Vermillion from Camellia, Red from Cinnabar etc) and highlighted with 24kt gold. All are mixed with water and gum arabica.

“Miniature” painting has its roots in 11th century India, and was later influenced by various styles like Persian.  Miniature developed so, because it was meant to be held in hand and read like a book. The folios were never too large to hold. Within miniature, Pahari paintings have a softness and a dreamy quality that sets them apart. Ofcourse, the best method to guess the possible origin of a painting is to judge the clothes of the characters it portrays. The same story or myth will depicted in local flavour or in the likeness of the patron, by artists of different schools. 

There are numerous stories of artists or heads of workshops observing a potential buyer keenly to determine if they are worthy of the sale. Like in cuisine and music, patronage for miniature painting in India was a high art. Here is a guide to observing this one:

Notice the confidence in line work by the artist. In the peacock feathers on the crown, the arch of the eyebrow, and the straight brushstrokes of gold surrounding the diety. Gold cannot be covered easily with a new layer of paint, so there is no room for error in each stroke. The slightest error in angle of the line would cause trouble as well. Next notice the translucence of clothes. Dieties have long been imagines in flimsy dhakai muslin, and shimmering Chanderi. The translucence is a striking marker of a Kangra painting. It is not a characteristic that can be found easily in the brightly coloured Pahari cousins of Basohli and Chamba for example. Next notice the bhava- ie. The feeling of the painting. One imagines that this is Surya just before dawn, before he takes the reins from the goddess Ushas. Without his energetically driven chariot, he is currently calm, peaceful. His face is relaxed, his beautifully drawn hands and feet are lose. To express calm in a two dimensional painting is the work of a master.

This painting has been rendered in natural mineral colours and 24kt gold on Basli paper.

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