LaurieAnnie's photos with the keyword: Krishna

Page from a Gita Govinda Series: Krishna and Radha Make Love (Primary Title) Date: ca. 1780 Culture: Indian Category: Paintings Works On Paper Medium: opaque watercolor and ink on paper Collection: South Asian Art Geography: Punjab Hills, Kangra region, India Dimensions: Sheet: 6 7/8 × 10 3/4 in. (17.46 × 27.31 cm) Mat: 16 × 20 in. (40.64 × 50.8 cm) Object Number: 85.30 Text from: www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-158694216

Krishna Adorning Radha's Hair (Primary Title) Unknown (Artist) Date: ca. 1815-20 Culture: Indian Category: Paintings, Works On Paper Medium: opaque watercolor and gold on paper Collection: South Asian Art Geography: Punjab Hills, Kangra region, India Dimensions: Sheet: 8 7/8 × 6 3/8 in. (22.54 × 16.19 cm) Mount: 11 1/8 × 8 1/2 in. (28.26 × 21.59 cm) Mat: 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.64 cm) Object Number: 68.8.82 Writers and artists never tired of describing every detail of Krishna and Radha’s romantic dalliances. While titillating, these encounters were also profound theological statements about the soul’s passionate desire for union with God. Here, as part of their love play, the blue-skinned deity toys with Radha’s long, raven-black tresses and a string of pearls as she places an ornament on her ear. They sit on a soft bed of leaves beside a forest stream. Trees laden with feathery green foliage and delicate flowering creepers surround them. The delightful style of this picture is typical of the soft, lyrical painting idiom developed in the hill state of Kangra. Text from: www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-8083007

Krishna Adorning Radha's Hair (Primary Title) Unknown (Artist) Date: ca. 1815-20 Culture: Indian Category: Paintings, Works On Paper Medium: opaque watercolor and gold on paper Collection: South Asian Art Geography: Punjab Hills, Kangra region, India Dimensions: Sheet: 8 7/8 × 6 3/8 in. (22.54 × 16.19 cm) Mount: 11 1/8 × 8 1/2 in. (28.26 × 21.59 cm) Mat: 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.64 cm) Object Number: 68.8.82 Writers and artists never tired of describing every detail of Krishna and Radha’s romantic dalliances. While titillating, these encounters were also profound theological statements about the soul’s passionate desire for union with God. Here, as part of their love play, the blue-skinned deity toys with Radha’s long, raven-black tresses and a string of pearls as she places an ornament on her ear. They sit on a soft bed of leaves beside a forest stream. Trees laden with feathery green foliage and delicate flowering creepers surround them. The delightful style of this picture is typical of the soft, lyrical painting idiom developed in the hill state of Kangra. Text from: www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-8083007

Krishna Adorning Radha's Hair (Primary Title) Unknown (Artist) Date: ca. 1815-20 Culture: Indian Category: Paintings, Works On Paper Medium: opaque watercolor and gold on paper Collection: South Asian Art Geography: Punjab Hills, Kangra region, India Dimensions: Sheet: 8 7/8 × 6 3/8 in. (22.54 × 16.19 cm) Mount: 11 1/8 × 8 1/2 in. (28.26 × 21.59 cm) Mat: 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.64 cm) Object Number: 68.8.82 Writers and artists never tired of describing every detail of Krishna and Radha’s romantic dalliances. While titillating, these encounters were also profound theological statements about the soul’s passionate desire for union with God. Here, as part of their love play, the blue-skinned deity toys with Radha’s long, raven-black tresses and a string of pearls as she places an ornament on her ear. They sit on a soft bed of leaves beside a forest stream. Trees laden with feathery green foliage and delicate flowering creepers surround them. The delightful style of this picture is typical of the soft, lyrical painting idiom developed in the hill state of Kangra. Text from: www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-8083007

Krishna and Radha (Primary Title) Unknown (Artist) Date: ca. 1760-80 Culture: Indian Category: Paintings, Works On Paper Medium: opaque watercolor on paper Collection: South Asian Art Geography: Rajasthan, Kishangarh, India Dimensions: Sheet: 7 1/2 × 5 3/4 in. (19.05 × 14.61 cm) Mat: 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.64 cm) Object Number: 68.8.106 Though early textual sources make only brief mention of a favorite gopi, later devotional literature overflows with accounts of Krishna’s adored Radha. Their love began when they were young children and later erupted into a highly charged passionate affair. Metaphorically, their frequent trysts in the forest reference the soul’s (Radha’s) ardent desire for union with God (Krishna). In the dreamlike style practiced by artists from Kishangarh, this painting depicts Krishna, Radha, and one of her companions meeting in a glade. The yellowish greens of the ethereal palette, the otherworldliness of the lovers’ elegantly stylized faces, and the seeming weightlessness of their longrobed bodies perfectly capture the transcendent qualities of the divine relationship. Text from: www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-79572376

Krishna and Radha (Primary Title) Unknown (Artist) Date: ca. 1760-80 Culture: Indian Category: Paintings, Works On Paper Medium: opaque watercolor on paper Collection: South Asian Art Geography: Rajasthan, Kishangarh, India Dimensions: Sheet: 7 1/2 × 5 3/4 in. (19.05 × 14.61 cm) Mat: 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.64 cm) Object Number: 68.8.106 Though early textual sources make only brief mention of a favorite gopi, later devotional literature overflows with accounts of Krishna’s adored Radha. Their love began when they were young children and later erupted into a highly charged passionate affair. Metaphorically, their frequent trysts in the forest reference the soul’s (Radha’s) ardent desire for union with God (Krishna). In the dreamlike style practiced by artists from Kishangarh, this painting depicts Krishna, Radha, and one of her companions meeting in a glade. The yellowish greens of the ethereal palette, the otherworldliness of the lovers’ elegantly stylized faces, and the seeming weightlessness of their longrobed bodies perfectly capture the transcendent qualities of the divine relationship. Text from: www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-79572376

Page from a Gita Govinda Series: Krishna and Radha Make Love (Primary Title) Date: ca. 1780 Culture: Indian Category: Paintings Works On Paper Medium: opaque watercolor and ink on paper Collection: South Asian Art Geography: Punjab Hills, Kangra region, India Dimensions: Sheet: 6 7/8 × 10 3/4 in. (17.46 × 27.31 cm) Mat: 16 × 20 in. (40.64 × 50.8 cm) Object Number: 85.30 Text from: www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-158694216

Page from a Bhagavata Purana Series: Krishna and Balarama Enter the Arena to Wrestle Chanura and Mushtaka (Primary Title) Unknown (Artist) Date: ca. 1800 Culture: Indian Category: Paintings, Works On Paper Medium: opaque watercolor on paper Collection: South Asian Art Geography: Punjab Hills, Kangra region, India Dimensions: Sheet: 10 3/4 × 16 5/8 in. (27.31 × 42.23 cm) Object Number: 68.8.85 This elegant Kangra painting depicts a moment leading up to Krishna’s final defeat of his uncle Kansa, the evil king of Mathura. Accompanied by his foster brother Balarama, Krishna had traveled to Mathura to attend a festival and tournament. At the city gates, the two young gods were attacked by Kuvalayapida, a monstrous elephant posted there by Kansa. After easily defeating the elephant, the divine duo faced the last of Kansa’s demons—his enormous wrestlers Chanura and Mushtika—before slaying the king himself. Here the blue-skinned Krishna and his light-skinned brother enter the tournament arena, bearing Kuvalayapida’s freshly severed tusks. Before them stand the giant wrestlers, rubbing themselves with oil and dust in preparation for the match. Kansa sits on a raised dais to the left, as a crowd of spectators, organized by social rank, looks on. Text from: www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-110007332

Page from a Bhagavata Purana Series: Krishna and Balarama Enter the Arena to Wrestle Chanura and Mushtaka (Primary Title) Unknown (Artist) Date: ca. 1800 Culture: Indian Category: Paintings, Works On Paper Medium: opaque watercolor on paper Collection: South Asian Art Geography: Punjab Hills, Kangra region, India Dimensions: Sheet: 10 3/4 × 16 5/8 in. (27.31 × 42.23 cm) Object Number: 68.8.85 This elegant Kangra painting depicts a moment leading up to Krishna’s final defeat of his uncle Kansa, the evil king of Mathura. Accompanied by his foster brother Balarama, Krishna had traveled to Mathura to attend a festival and tournament. At the city gates, the two young gods were attacked by Kuvalayapida, a monstrous elephant posted there by Kansa. After easily defeating the elephant, the divine duo faced the last of Kansa’s demons—his enormous wrestlers Chanura and Mushtika—before slaying the king himself. Here the blue-skinned Krishna and his light-skinned brother enter the tournament arena, bearing Kuvalayapida’s freshly severed tusks. Before them stand the giant wrestlers, rubbing themselves with oil and dust in preparation for the match. Kansa sits on a raised dais to the left, as a crowd of spectators, organized by social rank, looks on. Text from: www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-110007332

Krishna and His Friends Celebrate Holi in the Forests of Vrindavan (Primary Title) Unknown (Artist) Date: ca. 1710-1720 Culture: Indian Category: Paintings, Works On Paper Medium: opaque watercolor, ink on paper backed with fabric netting Collection: South Asian Art Geography: Rajasthan, Mewar, India Dimensions: Unframed: 24 3/4 × 35 3/4 in. (62.87 × 90.81 cm) Object Number: 96.33 This extraordinary painting from Mewar depicts the youthful Krishna and his friends, the cowherds and cow maidens, celebrating Holi in the forests of Vrindavan. During this spring festival, the rigid social rules of traditional Hindu society are temporarily suspended. Raucous celebrations, which include spraying people with colored water, are the order of the day. Krishna’s flirtations and gallantries with the cow maidens during Holi are presented here as a continuous narrative of scenes set on the banks of the Yamuna River. They illustrate the poem written in the yellow panel at the top of the page that describes a vision of Krishna experienced by the 16th-century Hindu mystic Surdas. To Krishna’s followers, these tales of love in Vrindavan’s forests are metaphors for the emotionally charged relationship between God and his devotees. Text from: www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-151063275

Krishna and His Friends Celebrate Holi in the Forests of Vrindavan (Primary Title) Unknown (Artist) Date: ca. 1710-1720 Culture: Indian Category: Paintings, Works On Paper Medium: opaque watercolor, ink on paper backed with fabric netting Collection: South Asian Art Geography: Rajasthan, Mewar, India Dimensions: Unframed: 24 3/4 × 35 3/4 in. (62.87 × 90.81 cm) Object Number: 96.33 This extraordinary painting from Mewar depicts the youthful Krishna and his friends, the cowherds and cow maidens, celebrating Holi in the forests of Vrindavan. During this spring festival, the rigid social rules of traditional Hindu society are temporarily suspended. Raucous celebrations, which include spraying people with colored water, are the order of the day. Krishna’s flirtations and gallantries with the cow maidens during Holi are presented here as a continuous narrative of scenes set on the banks of the Yamuna River. They illustrate the poem written in the yellow panel at the top of the page that describes a vision of Krishna experienced by the 16th-century Hindu mystic Surdas. To Krishna’s followers, these tales of love in Vrindavan’s forests are metaphors for the emotionally charged relationship between God and his devotees. Text from: www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-151063275

Krishna Admonishes the Gopis (Primary Title) Unknown (Artist) Date: ca. 1725-50 Culture: Indian Category: Paintings, Works On Paper Medium: opaque watercolor, ink on paper Collection:South Asian Art Geography: Rajasthan, Kota, India Dimensions: Sheet: 19 1/4 × 12 1/2 in. (48.9 × 31.75 cm) Object Number: 68.8.96 The verses above this painting are from Book Ten of the Bhagavata Purana, which records Krishna’s youth, especially his amorous adventures with the gopis (cow maidens) of Vrindavan. So powerful was their attraction to the handsome young god that they regularly abandoned their husbands and responsibilities for nighttime encounters in the forest with him. Krishna here chides a great crowd of gopis in a jungle clearing illuminated by a silvery circle of light from the full moon. The blue-skinned deity torments these women: “Tell me why you have come. Oh Graceful Ones, the night is frightful, and haunted by terrible creatures. . . . Women should not remain here.” Hurt and frustrated by Krishna’s admonition, the women wipe their eyes, scratch the ground with their feet, or hold their hands to their foreheads in sorrow and despair. Text from: www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-110007472

Page from a Bhagavata Purana Series: Krishna Slays the Horse Demon Keshi (Primary Title) Unknown (Artist) Date: ca. 1680-1690 Culture: Indian Category: Paintings, Works On Paper Medium: opaque watercolor on paper Collection: South Asian Art Geography: Central India, India Dimensions: Sheet: 4 5/8 × 7 in. (11.75 × 17.78 cm) Mat: 16 × 20 in. (40.64 × 50.8 cm) Object Number: 68.8.69 To hide him from his evil uncle, Krishna was raised by a foster family in the pastoral community of Vrindavan. Eventually, though, Kansa discovered the young god’s whereabouts and dispatched a series of demons to kill him. One was the gigantic horse Keshi. When the beast attacked, Krishna plunged his left arm down its throat, expanding his appendage to such a vast size that it suffocated the demon. This depiction shows an earlier moment of the encounter. Krishna grabs the charging horse-demon’s nose, brandishing his magical discus weapon, as fellow cowherds rush to his aid. In the visual shorthand typical of Central Indian painting, the two trees on the right indicate Vrindavan’s forests. The picture has plainly been trimmed along its left edge. Text from: www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-79573911

Page from a Bhagavata Purana Series: Krishna Slays the Horse Demon Keshi (Primary Title) Unknown (Artist) Date: ca. 1680-1690 Culture: Indian Category: Paintings, Works On Paper Medium: opaque watercolor on paper Collection: South Asian Art Geography: Central India, India Dimensions: Sheet: 4 5/8 × 7 in. (11.75 × 17.78 cm) Mat: 16 × 20 in. (40.64 × 50.8 cm) Object Number: 68.8.69 To hide him from his evil uncle, Krishna was raised by a foster family in the pastoral community of Vrindavan. Eventually, though, Kansa discovered the young god’s whereabouts and dispatched a series of demons to kill him. One was the gigantic horse Keshi. When the beast attacked, Krishna plunged his left arm down its throat, expanding his appendage to such a vast size that it suffocated the demon. This depiction shows an earlier moment of the encounter. Krishna grabs the charging horse-demon’s nose, brandishing his magical discus weapon, as fellow cowherds rush to his aid. In the visual shorthand typical of Central Indian painting, the two trees on the right indicate Vrindavan’s forests. The picture has plainly been trimmed along its left edge. Text from: www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-79573911

Krishna Admonishes the Gopis (Primary Title) Unknown (Artist) Date: ca. 1725-50 Culture: Indian Category: Paintings, Works On Paper Medium: opaque watercolor, ink on paper Collection:South Asian Art Geography: Rajasthan, Kota, India Dimensions: Sheet: 19 1/4 × 12 1/2 in. (48.9 × 31.75 cm) Object Number: 68.8.96 The verses above this painting are from Book Ten of the Bhagavata Purana, which records Krishna’s youth, especially his amorous adventures with the gopis (cow maidens) of Vrindavan. So powerful was their attraction to the handsome young god that they regularly abandoned their husbands and responsibilities for nighttime encounters in the forest with him. Krishna here chides a great crowd of gopis in a jungle clearing illuminated by a silvery circle of light from the full moon. The blue-skinned deity torments these women: “Tell me why you have come. Oh Graceful Ones, the night is frightful, and haunted by terrible creatures. . . . Women should not remain here.” Hurt and frustrated by Krishna’s admonition, the women wipe their eyes, scratch the ground with their feet, or hold their hands to their foreheads in sorrow and despair. Text from: www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-110007472

Yashoda with the Infant Krishna early 12th century Object Details Period: Chola period (880–1279) Date: early 12th century Culture: India (Tamil Nadu, Pudukkottai and Tanjavur districts) Medium: Copper alloy Dimensions: H. 17 1/2 in. (44.5 cm); W. 11 13/16 in. (30 cm); D. 10 7/8 in. (27.6 cm) Classification: Sculpture Credit Line: Purchase, Lita Annenberg Hazen Charitable Trust Gift, in honor of Cynthia Hazen and Leon B. Polsky, 1982 Accession Number: 1982.220.8 This tender image of maternal affection depicts the child Krishna being nursed by his foster mother, Yashoda. In infancy Krishna had been hidden from the murderous king Kamsa of Mathura to be raised in safety by foster parents. In the repertoire of South Indian processional bronzes cast during the Chola period, this subject is rarely represented. The sophisticated modeling, casting, and tooling link this work to Chola bronzes of the late eleventh and twelfth centuries. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/39331

Yashoda with the Infant Krishna early 12th century Object Details Period: Chola period (880–1279) Date: early 12th century Culture: India (Tamil Nadu, Pudukkottai and Tanjavur districts) Medium: Copper alloy Dimensions: H. 17 1/2 in. (44.5 cm); W. 11 13/16 in. (30 cm); D. 10 7/8 in. (27.6 cm) Classification: Sculpture Credit Line: Purchase, Lita Annenberg Hazen Charitable Trust Gift, in honor of Cynthia Hazen and Leon B. Polsky, 1982 Accession Number: 1982.220.8 This tender image of maternal affection depicts the child Krishna being nursed by his foster mother, Yashoda. In infancy Krishna had been hidden from the murderous king Kamsa of Mathura to be raised in safety by foster parents. In the repertoire of South Indian processional bronzes cast during the Chola period, this subject is rarely represented. The sophisticated modeling, casting, and tooling link this work to Chola bronzes of the late eleventh and twelfth centuries. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/39331

Yashoda with the Infant Krishna early 12th century Object Details Period: Chola period (880–1279) Date: early 12th century Culture: India (Tamil Nadu, Pudukkottai and Tanjavur districts) Medium: Copper alloy Dimensions: H. 17 1/2 in. (44.5 cm); W. 11 13/16 in. (30 cm); D. 10 7/8 in. (27.6 cm) Classification: Sculpture Credit Line: Purchase, Lita Annenberg Hazen Charitable Trust Gift, in honor of Cynthia Hazen and Leon B. Polsky, 1982 Accession Number: 1982.220.8 This tender image of maternal affection depicts the child Krishna being nursed by his foster mother, Yashoda. In infancy Krishna had been hidden from the murderous king Kamsa of Mathura to be raised in safety by foster parents. In the repertoire of South Indian processional bronzes cast during the Chola period, this subject is rarely represented. The sophisticated modeling, casting, and tooling link this work to Chola bronzes of the late eleventh and twelfth centuries. Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/39331