Modern Muse: Arpita Shah’s Feminist Take on Mughal Portraiture
Staging an intervention in art history, and specifically in Indian miniature portraiture, Arpita Shah replaces male Mughal emperors with inspiring...
Guest Profile 3 September 2023
#India
Mughal Daggers: Art in Weaponry
During the 16th century, a captivating trend of ornate bejeweled blades emerged in the Near East and South Asia. They showcase the exquisite...
Maya M. Tola 28 August 2023
Jahangir’s Wine Cups: Mughal Decorative Arts
The Mughal Empire stands as one of history’s most opulent periods known to nurture a rich tapestry of art and architecture that offers a...
Maya M. Tola 14 August 2023
Mughal Gardens: Paradise on Earth
The Mughal regime is a well-documented era and the cultural achievements of this period are an important landmark in South Asian art history. While...
Maya M. Tola 24 July 2023
Six Exquisite Mother-of-Pearl Artifacts from Gujarat
Mother-of-Pearl is an iridescent layer carved out of snail shells, usually the Turbo Marmoratus. It is a luminous material that naturally reflects...
Maya M. Tola 5 July 2023
Nalini Malani – An Introduction
Nalini Malani, Listening to the Shades 7, 2008. Artist’s website. “Over an extended career, Malani has been an unremitting voice for...
Isla Phillips-Ewen 5 July 2023
Seven Famous Modern Indian Printmakers
Indian printmaking traces its lineage from the narrative of the father of Indian modern art, Raja Ravi Varma, and his oleographs. Besides, Varma was...
Urvi Chheda 5 July 2023
Ardhanarishvara: Androgynous Portrayal of Shiva and Parvati
The composite form of Shiva and his consort, Shakti (another name for Parvati) is known as the Ardhanarishvara or the “God who is...
Maya M. Tola 27 April 2023
Lakshmi in Art: The Goddess of Wealth
Lakshmi is a prominent Hindu deity who is also revered by Buddhists and Jains. Her eminent position in the Hindu pantheon emanates not only from her...
Maya M. Tola 27 April 2023
Saraswati – The Beautiful Goddess of Knowledge and Art
Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge and the arts. Remarkably, in the Hindu tradition and in rituals, Saraswati occupies a more prominent...
Maya M. Tola 27 April 2023
Jali in Mughal Architecture, the Most Delicate Stone Curtains
The jali, or pierced screens, have been extensively employed in Indian construction since time immemorial. They appear in both Hindu and Islamic...
Maya M. Tola 18 April 2023
Amrita Sher-Gil – India’s Frida Kahlo
Amrita Sher-Gil lived a short but certainly interesting life. Her artistic oeuvre is extremely impressive and she is considered to be one of the most...
Zuzanna Stańska 30 January 2023
