Windows to the Gods – A Divine Vision in Art

“Windows to the Gods” – the third edition of a spectacular painting exhibition curated by Kalakriti Art Gallery last week – featured the marvellous works of senior artist Rayana Giridhara Gowd. The aptly named collection showcased a series of both acrylic on canvas as well as miniature works.
Giridhara draws his main inspiration from the Vijayanagara style, with subtle variations and refinements injected with his own considerable scholarship, derived from intense study of both literary and practical knowledge. He travels extensively to master the iconography of divine imagery, seeking out lesser-known temples housing the most esoteric and vibrant sculptural masterpieces of ancient India. These serve as a deep wellspring from which he absorbs and reimagines elements in his own artistic vocabulary.
Though inspired by manifold sources, his paintings exhibit a remarkable degree of originality in their striking colour schemes and myriad idioms. The depth of intricate detailing is mind-boggling, and each repeated view discloses fresh vistas. Layers of meaning are embedded within one another like prisms, reflecting facets of a whole, yet complete within themselves. An entire story can be gleaned by the diligent viewer.
The undoubted highlight of the exhibit among the canvases was the luminously golden, glowing figure titled “Chandra Sahodari Mahalakshmi.” The Goddess of Wealth, clad in a rosy-hued garment, is imagined as emerging from the lapis-lazuli-coloured ocean, holding lotus buds in her hands. The Crescent Moon, her brother, is a sliver of light magically conjured up by a sleight of artistry, casting an intensely focused beam—almost too bright to bear! ‘Kalpavriksha’, the wish-granting tree, is picturised with dense foliage of jade and turquoise. Kamadhenu and Airavata, painted in grey shades, appear clearly yet unobtrusively, fading into the background. The specks of foam on the ocean waves are exquisitely delineated.
“Gokula Priya Govinda” shows Govinda hugging a calf—his sibling—as the cow, his mother, fed the Lord in this incarnation. The monochrome gold tones separate the upper part from the lower tangled mass of birds, trees, and flowers in multicolours, with the snowy calf seamlessly joining both areas of the canvas in harmony.
“Aiswarya Srirama” was both stern and soft. It combined the God whose word was as eternal as his unsparing arrow, with the benevolence of Lakshmi, adding a charming tone to his divine countenance. Mostly painted in orange, the outlined elephants in the background on either side hinted at the Goddess’s presence. A few blue areas were present, rounding out the face and the jeweled necklace of the crowned Rama, depicted in a seated posture with Hanuman praying at his feet.
In the same vein was “Hanuman Vahana Srirama”, in which the Lord bestrode a flying Hanuman in battle, and “Hasya Rasa Srirama,” where squirrels and monkeys in myriad poses of backbreaking effort loyally build the bridge to Lanka under the gaze of Lord Rama.
“Surya Vandita Hanuman” portrayed Hanuman worshipping the Sun, his colossal form bestriding two mountains in a green and orange theme. Sunflowers forming a halo around his figure signified the elapse of time.
“Kinneralu”—celestial demi-gods—were shown playing musical instruments in a verdant garden almost obscured by luxuriant vegetation. It was a melange of pinks, greens, and blues, with densely executed leaves and flowers, and a solitary white crane striding across the canvas.
The miniatures section of the display was superbly rendered with minute strokes of painstaking genius. Each detail—figure, ornament, and background—was exact in its magical, spellbinding quality, exceeding in fineness of line, light, and shade. A whole series of Hanuman paintings in various striking poses and attitudes depicted the full legend of the devoted ‘Vanachara’, the mischievous ‘Bala’, statuesque ‘Sura Vanditha’, cute ‘Kadambavana’, confident ‘Chudamani’, icon-like ‘Panchamukha’, bold ‘Samudra’, and calm ‘Saavadhana’, all dazzling with ingenuity.
Some line drawings in gesso also drew the eye with their crosshatched detailing of Avataras and Vahanas.
“Sita Sameta Srirama” depicted a bashful Sita placing a garland around Rama. Just a few square inches in size, the lovingly respectful rendering made this small rectangle of paint a masterpiece to behold.
A series of five miniatures formed a frieze depicting the entire scene of the “Siva Dhanurbhangam.” The central, larger panel showed Rama breaking Shiva’s bow. On one side were the attending kings, with Lakshmana and Vishvamitra; on the other side stood Janaka and Sita with the garland in her hand. Earth pigments combined with gold in these miniatures, where appropriate, lavishly imbued the jewelled tones of filigreed ornamentation with luminescence, enchanting the eye with their elegant grace.