Visual Art and Culture

     What makes the exploration of places interesting ?  It is worth visiting new places with glimpses of history, with the insights from literature, culture, and religion. A blend of ancient and contemporary cultural values presents a colorful canvas to the explorer.                 Historically, Ujjain is a very significant place located in the west central part of Madhya Pradesh, in India, and I wanted to see this place very much. Many times, I had come across this word called Ujjain in the pages of history, in the context of Mythology, in the context of  Kalidas  Literature, in the context of the important play named Mrichhakatika of Shudraka.    During the Mouryan period, Ujjain was a centre place for administration, politics, religion and culture.    Through the pages of history, we come to know that the famous king Vikramaditya ruled    his king...

                                                                During the passage of time, from generation to generation, objects get old and mature with historical and cultural significance. If the objects stand the test of time and survive gracefully, get the distinction as antiques. The antiques belonging to a particular time, a genre of art or fashion usually have rare beauty and aesthetic value, and command attention and high price.    These are treasured, valued and passed on from one generation to another. The value of an antique - historically, culturally and economically - increases as it gets older and older, and becomes a rarity. An antique stands as testimony ...

Artist: Gayatri Desai

Artist: Gayatri Desai * paintings for sale. Inquire through email

       Jahangir with Falcon       When we look at paintings, we slowly realize how these paintings communicate to us. Each line, each form, each colour, the spatial arrangement speaks volumes. By studying these paintings, we can realize what kind of culture prevailed during that period. The very word ‘culture’ itself denotes lot of things like material culture, the way of living, the behavioral aspect, tastes,  ideas, concepts and values. Keeping all these things in mind, one can have a look at these rich paintings for deeper understanding. When I look at these mogul miniature paintings in the backdrop of  fast growing urbanisation in recent years, which is a matter of concern for all of us,   these  paintings beautifully unfold before us the richness of vegetation, which the artists have captured in fine lines and colours. Now cities are growing both horizontally and vertically becau...

 Artist: Madhu Desai Untitled          6'x4'         Acrylic Monsoon Friends       4'x4'         Acrylic Monsoon friends        4'x4'          Acrylic

Art has evolved so much with the time that it needs deeper look and understanding.  From Classical art to Modern Movements, the art theories kept on evolving and art practices kept on changing. When we go through the annals of art history, we come across the rare example of artist Leonardo Da Vinci  whose inquisitiveness  kept him a student till his last breath. Like Leonardo Da Vinci, Marcel Duchamp was also interested in learning and inventing.      Marcel Duchamp, who had done works in the style of cubism, futurism and Dadaism, finally rejected the theories and processes as retinal art only and turned towards conceptual art ­– which focused on mind – ideas. Like Leonardo, he was also interested in gaining knowledge, so, for many years, he did not produce any work of art,but kept on playing the game of chess.  One fine day, he kept a man- made object named  Fountain as a piece of art in a gallery, and that one art work revol...

A n old album containing several small and big snaps unfolds before me. I turn the pages passionately to catch the glimpses of my siblings, parents, relatives and friends.  With the passage of time, the pages of the album have worn out and become brittle;the photographs, too, have turned yellowish and look faded. The yellowed photographs frisk me from present to the past, with nostalgic memories flooding. The thin transparent papers alternating after each thick black sheet of paper have crumpled at the edges; some holes too have appeared in their fragile bodies. With the threads of space and time, these albums have preserved our memories and lineage gracefully over all these years.These albums stand as testimony for the evolving culture, and a s an archival,  the albums help to reconstruct history.  Long skirt with a small top and a dupatta was the ideal dress for the grown up girls then.   Girls and women, in their early twenties and thirties, sporting t...

Art is nothing but life. When a shift takes in life, automatically a shift happens in art too. Art history reveals how life has evolved over the years along with art, which is the inherent and creative expression of human being. Cave paintings are the examples of the first expression  of human being. Continuous evolving has led to refinement and sophistication in living and tastes. Ragamala paintings as a genre which combine painting, poetry and music, are very refined and sophisticated - linear, lyrical, infused with music - this style started way back in the 16 th  century, in northern India Change of seasons is always welcome as it brings changes into life through atmospheric change and many other related changes along with it. In an exotic and unique manner, Ragamala Paintings celebrate the seasons through fusion of lines and colors, which bring out poetical visuals.    Ragamala Paintings  based on  ragas  not only give   visual treat b...