A Journey Through Divine Avatars in Miniature

Kalakriti Art Gallery presented ‘Shiva & Shakti Art Exhibition’, featuring the exquisite miniature paintings by renowned artist R Giridhar Gowd. The Exhibition Thursday was inaugurated by Venkaiah Naidu, Former Vice President of India and graced by special guest Tanikella Bharani, renowned actor and writer. The exhibition is currently open to the public and will run until May 1, 2024 at Kalakriti Art Gallery, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. On entering the gallery, the atmosphere was like entering a Jeweller’s showroom as the walls were lit up by the exquisite miniatures sparkling like so many gems. Noted senior artist Sanjay Ashtaputre who was present shared his memory of a workshop where Gowd had with a few well-placed deft strokes of an exceedingly fine brush created the likeness of a Sparrow in a few minutes! A testimony to the Artist’s renowned skill and superb drafting power which are an essential part of painting.

During the inauguration, artist R Giridhar Gowd presented a special Shiva and Shakti painting to Former Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, showcasing the artist’s talent and mastery of his craft. The exhibition features a collection of works inspired by Giridhar’s study of the “Dakshinatya Natyakala Charitra” and “Rupa Dhyana Ratnavali”, which explore the various avatars of Shiva Shakti. The paintings done using earth pigments and gold on special high-quality paper are meticulously painted in the Vijayanagara painting style. The features are so minute that it appears as though the artiste has used a magnifying glass to paint with a Jewellers precision. The artiste mentioned the great encouragement given to him by Padmashri Jagdish Mittal and his gift to him of special paper for painting.

Giridhar’s series of works titled ‘Shiva & Shakti’ delves deeper into the philosophy and interpretation of the avatar of Shiva Parvati. His paintings embody the connectedness of the universe, symbolizing the male and female forms of nature. Through his meticulous brushstroke, Giridhar invites viewers to explore the inherent philosophy conveyed through the various avatars of Shiva Shakti. This body of work opens space in initiating another trajectory of a narrative that enables deeper analysis of the many manifestations of Avatars. Mostly pastel shades were used suffusing a jewel like glow through the images with their soft hues. The perfect iconography invited comparison to ancient Temple Sculptures. Divine brilliance permeated the paintings with energy.

The exhibition also highlights Giridhar’s intellectual approach in reading the Purana between the lines, providing a deeper understanding of the mythology and philosophy behind Shiva Shakti. His works transcend mere illustrations, offering a personal interpretation and temporal layers that resonate with viewers explicating on this is the idea of the whole Universe being connected through symbolising the male and female forms of nature. Thus, Shiva and Parvati are embodiments of the primal Deity. We have to approach these painted episodes not as different forms of mere illustrations but as a deeper philosophy which is personal creating temporal layers that find visual correspondence through the layering of symbolic forms.

Giridhar’s latest works draw inspiration from Adi Shankaracharya’s classic work Soundarya Lahari, featuring the divine dance of Lord Shiva known as Tandava Natyam. The paintings depict different forms of the cosmic dance, including Ananda Tandava, Sandhya Tandava, Kaliki Tandava, Vijay Tandava, Uma Tandava, Sahara Tandava, and Urdhwa Tandava. The Navdurga Swarup series, inspired by Dhyana Shlokas, includes paintings of Bala Tripura Sundari Devi, Gayatri Devi, Annapurna Devi, Lalita Devi, Saraswati Devi, Mahalakshmi Devi, Durga Devi, Mahishasura Mardini Devi, and Shri Raja Rajeshwari. Each Goddess was rendered in a signature style, subtly differentiating while remaining true to the stylistic motifs running throughout the show. The benign radiance exuded invited appreciation from the visitors who were visibly thrilled by the exhibited art works. There were also some fine half tone sketches of Elephants which resembled in their excellence the work of famous Mughal miniature Masters.