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We are happy to bring for our readers a double issue this time, with 18 new offerings which explore two related themes – The Way of the Indian Artist and Art as Yoga. We hope you will enjoy reading through this issue as much as we enjoyed working on it.
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Editor's Note: In the Indian vision, all Art is a medium to express the Ananda, this Eternal Delight through form. An Indian painter or sculptor seeks the pure intensities of delight as he searches for the universal beauty revealed or hidden in all creation. As he seeks perfection in the form that comes through his hand or brush, his inner being experiences a sort of enlightenment through the power of a certain "spiritually aesthetic Ananda", reminds Sri Aurobindo.
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Editor's Note: Originally titled
The Revival of Indian Art, this essay was first published in the
Karmayogin on 16 October 1909. We have taken the liberty to change the title to highlight some of the key points Sri Aurobindo emphasises in the essay. One of these has to do with what is unique about the origin of the greatest art in India. And through a discussion on that Sri Aurobindo then summarises succinctly the essential difference between Western and Indian views of artistic creation. |
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Editor's Note: The Mother once said that true art must be an expression of the Divine in life and through life. It is because of an intimate relation of great art with Life, that certain literary and artistic works feel so 'alive' even after thousands of years when they were first composed or carved or painted. Their distinct living quality makes them relatable and fresh across time and context.
To find a valuable insight into the reason for this, read these highly poetic prose passages by Sri Aurobindo. These works of art were the outpourings of poets and artists who had the power to become one with all that was around them. These creators were complete, vast, multitudinous, infinite in a way, impersonal & many-personed in their very personality. They were "not divine workmen merely but true creators endowed by God with something of His divine power and offering therefore in their works some image of His creative activity."
Read to find out what makes them "true creators" and explore the relation of Art and Yoga. These passages also help us reflect on the Mother's words: "The discipline of Art has at its centre the same principle as the discipline of Yoga." |
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We feature a conversation of the Mother, dated July 28, 1929. Here she gives a detailed explanation of the relation between Art and Yoga. She speaks of various art forms as well as the changes in the conception of art over time, and also gives relevant examples. The Artist as a Yogi and the Yogi as an Artist -- both these aspects are wonderfully explained in these passages.
In Part 2, the Mother explains the phenomenon of mushroom art where art becomes disconnected with life and is no longer an expression of integral harmony and beauty. For easier online reading, we have made a few formatting revisions with no change in the text. |
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Editor's Note: We feature excerpts from a lecture delivered by A. B. Purani at the J.J. School of Art, Bombay (now Mumbai), on February 1, 1954. We have highlighted those sections in particular that speak of the art-creation processes. The focus is also on some of the distinctive aspects of artistic tradition in India. In the second part, the author speaks about the future art of humanity. He also summarises the many planes of consciousness to which an artist can ascend through yoga. |
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Sri Aurobindo as the Seer-poet
(December 7, 2024)
As part of our ongoing exploration of the Spirit and Forms of Indian Art, we are organizing a webinar on the theme – Sri Aurobindo, the Seer-poet on December 7, 2024. In India ever since the Veda, we have had an ideal of “the sacred poet, a mind visited by some highest light and its forms of idea and word, a seer and hearer of the Truth,
kavayaḥ satyaśrutaḥ.” (Sri Aurobindo, CWSA, 20: 320). A poet-seer not only reveals to man his present or reinterprets for him his past, but can also point him to his future and in all three reveals
to him the face of the Eternal.
Zoom Details:
Meeting ID: 811 4223 3029
Passcode: 488815
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81142233029?pwd=ZFzOnaszwqJWdxc2L56BS7OEEMfXly.1
The webinar will explore “Sri Aurobindo as the Seer-poet” through reflections on his poetic works and his work as a Rishi. The programme shall include brief talks by two scholars who have spent years studying and contemplating on Sri Aurobindo’s poetry, followed by a discussion.
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Free Download available HERE.
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Stay updated on all the PAST WORKS completed by the BhāratShakti team, including recent writings, talks, workshops and more. |
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We thank our donors for their valuable contribution. Your support helps us keep the journal free and organize meaningful educational opportunities through our workshops, talks and exhibitions. Please keep supporting the Renaissance.
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