College of Southern Nevada Krishna and Radha in A Pavilion Comparison Paper KRISHNA AND RADHA IN A PAVILION Krishna and Radha in a Pavilion: opaque waterc

College of Southern Nevada Krishna and Radha in A Pavilion Comparison Paper KRISHNA AND RADHA IN A PAVILION

Krishna and Radha in a Pavilion: opaque watercolor on paper, 11 ⅛” x 7 ¾ ”
found in Sanchi, India
Rajput Court
1526 – 1877 CE

Your eBook, Kleiner Art Through the Ages, 15th edition, describes the image as follows. “In the Krishna and Radha miniature, the lovers sit naked on a bed beneath a jeweled pavilion in a lush garden of ripe mangoes and flowering shrubs. Krishna gently touches Radha’s breast while looking directly into her face. Radha shyly averts her gaze. It is night, the time of lovemaking, and the dark monsoon sky momentarily lights up with a lightning flash indicating the moment’s electric passion. Lightning is one of the standard symbols used in Rajput and Pahari miniatures to represent sexual excitement. ”

An example of native Indian art styles produced by artists of the Rajput courts, when India was ruled by the Islamic Mughal Empire.

Form

Small scale, album-size painting.

Style

“Indian” –idealized human figure style, a later variant on styles developed in Gupta India, and transmitted across time, practically unchanged for hundreds of years.

Meaning

Krishna (an avatar of Vishnu), known as the god of Love, engages his favorite beauty, Rhada, in love play. Iconography of Krishna: “the dark one” he is a cowboy who spends his time tending the cows and flirting with the cowgirls; he is a talented musician and dancer, and also capable of supernatural feats, such as vanquishing and reforming the evil naga, Kaliya by dancing him to submission. As a child, to a human mother, he was mischievous, always stealing balls of butter, and other pranks. He is lovable at any age.
Krishna – Hindu Deity
Krishna – A Most Beautiful Song… Wonderful Composition on Lord Krishna

Context

The Rajput courts were ruled by powerful native, Hindu families. Although subject to the Mughals, they continued to worship their traditional Hindu gods and patronize Hindu art, which featured mythological subjects such as Krishna and Radha.

AUSPICOUS OBJECTS

Auspicous Objects: Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 7′ 11 ⅜″ x 5′ 1 ⅞″
found in Beijing, China
Qing Dynasty
1644 CE – 1911 CE

Your eBook, Kleiner Art Through the Ages, 15th edition, describes the image as follows. “The Chinese, while admiring the Europeans’ technical virtuosity, found Western style unsatisfactory. Those Jesuit painters who were successful in China adapted their styles to Chinese tastes. The most prominent European artist at the Qing court was Giuseppe Castiglione (1688–1768), who went by the name Lang Shining in China. Auspicious Objects, which Castiglione painted in 1724 in honor of the birthday of the third Qing ruler, the Yongzheng (Concord and Rectitude) emperor (r. 1723–1735), exemplifies his hybrid Italian-Chinese painting style. The Jesuit painter’s emphasis on a single source of light consistently cast shadows, and three-dimensional volume is unmistakably European stylistic concerns. But the impact of Chinese literati painting on the Italian artist is equally evident, especially in the composition of the branches and leaves of the overhanging pine tree and the rock formations in the lower half of the scroll. Above all, the subject is purely Chinese. The white eagle, the pine tree, the rocks, and the red mushroomlike plants (lingzhi) are traditional Chinese symbols. The eagle connotes imperial status, courage, and military achievement. The evergreen pines and the rocks connote long life, which, according to Chinese belief, eating lingzhi will promote. All are fitting motifs for a painting celebrating the birthday of an emperor.”

In some ways, this is not a “Chinese” painting. The painter was an Italian Jesuit priest, a trained European oil painter, and printmaker, whose goal in China was to convert the Emperor and his Court to Christianity. His tactic was to serve as a court painter to the Emperor and obtain his trust and admiration, which he did, although he did not succeed in converting him to Christianity. This is an oddity but also a masterpiece of hybridity: Western/Chinese.

Form

Large hanging scroll on silk.

Style

Hybrid – European and Chinese techniques; aiming for realism without relying on Western methods such as chiaroscuro and local color. How would you describe it?
Flowers in a Vase

Meaning

It is command painting, not something creative or personally expressive; Castiglione is not telling us anything about himself beyond his incredible ability to adapt his style and still preserve his intention. It is a celebratory painting, one of many, made in honor of the Emperor’s birthday.

Context

There were several other Jesuits at court as well, architects, draftsmen, sculptors, and engineers, all making European marvels, like fountains and clocks, to impress the Emperor and convince him to convert. The Jesuits had been in China beginning in the late Ming.

At the top of each paper include a digital image and clearly identify the work of art by: Title, artist (if known), date, material, dimensions, and where it is now located.

In the body of your paper compare these two works of art with regard to: form, style, meaning, and historical or cultural context. Hint: for a meaningful paper choose works that have something in common, such as the same or similar subject matter, or medium; sculpture with sculpture, architecture with architecture, painting with painting etc. Discuss how while they may be similar (such as images of the Buddha, or narratives) yet they are different. Explain what accounts for the differences. Why do artists/architects make the choices they do?