indian art exhibition in chicago

7/25/2019 Indian art exhibition in Chicago

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Pichvai Art

he Pichvais form of art originated in the

temple town of Nathdwara, near Udaipur in

Rajasthan. The town is famous for its temple of

Shrinathji, a form of Lord Krishna as a child, and

which is worshipped by the Pushtimarg sect of

Hindus. Pichvaisis an art form that developed in

the 17th century and has been passed down the

generations.

The word Pichvais originates from the Sanskrit

words pich, which means back, and vai,

which means to hang. Pichvaispaintings are large

cloth paintings hung behind the image or idol of

Shrinathji in temples, akin to a stage backdrop.

Each Pichvais painting is considered a seva or a

service to the deity and hence personifies

These paintings have deep religious roots and are

executed by painters with utmost devotion.

Nathdwara artists work around the precincts of

the Shrinathji temple in Nathdwara The artists

T


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h i hji i i h j l d l i the Shrinathji temple in Nathdwara The artists

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Pushtimarg sect - note

Pushtimarg is a Vaishnav sect of Hinduism founded by Sant Vallabhacharya in the late 15th

Century. Lord Krishna is the main deity of the sect, worshiped in many forms, mostly as

Shrinathji, a form of Lord Krishna as a seven-year-old child.

Vallabhacharya was born in 1479 into a learned Telugu-speaking family that hailed from what

is now called Andhra Pradesh in south India.

Shri Vallabh was a brilliant and extra-ordinary child. He finished studying all the Vedas and

prominent scriptures at an early age. During his second pilgrimage around India, Lord Krishna

appeared in the form of Shrinathji in front of him and ordered him to establish Pushtimargand propagate the pushti kind of devotion among the chosen ones.

According to legend, Lord Shrinathji taught Shri Vallabh the Brahamasambandha mantra and

asked him to bring back the divine souls into his seva. Shri Vallabh taught the same mantra to

his first disciples and thus began to spread the principals of Pushtimarg.

Pushtimarg is spontaneous selfless and motiveless love for God It is based on pure love and


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RELIANCE FOUNDATION GETS TRADITIONAL

PICHVAIS ART FORM TO GLOBAL AUDIENCES

MUMBAI, September 14:

A f i ill f i di i h i l b

LEAD SPONSOR FOR GATES OF THE LORD: THE TRADITION OF KRISHNA

PAINTINGS AT THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO

MRS NITA AMBANI, CHAIRPERSON, RELIANCE FOUNDATION, AND ISHA AMBANI

ATTEND GALA OPENING AMID CHICAGOS LEADING LIGHTS

Press Release


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NOTE TO THE EDITOR

ABOUT PICHVAIS:Pichvais(Sanskrit for back and hanging) art is an old and living artistic tradition of

India. It involves intricate paintings on textiles that are hung behind the idol of Shrinathji. The themes

of these paintings are Shrinathji, a form of Lord Krishna as a child, and his exploits. The paintings depict

scenes of Lord Krishna lifting the Govardhan mountain on his little finger, playing with the gopis(milkmaids), or pastoral scenes with cows and forests. The Pichvais art form, which developed in

the 17th century, is a tradition of the Pushtimarg sect, founded by Sant Vallabhacharya about 500

years ago.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION: The Exhibition at AIC features drawings, paintings and historicphotographs. This exhibition of the Pushtimarg sect of Hinduism is the first of its kind anywhere in US.

The Exhibition is an outcome of the Lead Sponsorhip of Nita and Mukesh Ambani and the Reliance

Foundation. It comprises paintings from two prestigious and rarely exhibited private collections, the

Amit Ambalal collection from Ahmedabad, and the TAPI collection, Surat.

ABOUT AIC AND INDIA:India has a historic connection with the Art Institute, Chicago (AIC). It washere that Swami Vivekananda delivered his famous Sisters and Brothers of America speech in 1893.

Since 1890 AIC has collection of Indian art including Himalayan Islamic and Southeast Asian art that


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Glimpse of one of the exhibits fromthe Amit Ambalal Collection


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Some images from the Tapi Collection


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indian art exhibition in chicago

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