The Hindu : New Delhi News : Spreading dharma through art

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 29, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Spreading dharma through art

Madhur Tankha

A painting exhibition by noted Buddhist scholar

‘Swan in the mist’: Acrylic on canvas by The XII Kuanding Tai Situpa

NEW DELHI: A week-long painting exhibition by the noted Buddhist scholar, The XII Kuanding Tai Situpa, opens at Kumar Gallery here this Saturday.

Titled ‘Shadow of Inner Light’, the exhibition features 40 paintings in acrylic on canvas, watercolours and red pearl ink on silk, archaic paper and rice paper, works in mixed media including gold, leaves, petals, stems, seeds of lotus and lotus central.

As a child, The Tai Situpa used charcoal as a medium to create paintings on the floor. Fifteen years ago, he approached a gallery in Italy to exhibit his works of art. Since then his union with the official world of art has continued. “I need to feel nice about my paintings, otherwise it holds no value. I feel no hesitation to destroy a painting and start afresh till I am totally satisfied with it. Through my work I try to share my own inner experience for others. I am sure that it will not only remove all their confusion but also give them a focus in life,” says the artist.

For The Tai Situpa, wisdom is created not only through the Dharma teachings but also through the visual medium. Therefore, he chooses to paint and enlighten all. The exhibition will take discerning art lovers to a time when artists were reclusive creatures, cut off from all worldly trappings. The serene portrayal of natural entities like the sun and the moon in their myriad shades, pristine Himalayan landscapes, majestic pagodas and the tranquil flora and fauna depict a deep sense of humanism and spirituality.

With text inscriptions in the Tibetan language on his canvas, paintings like ‘Nine Level Dharma Pagoda’, ‘Root of All Goodness and Antidote of All Faults’, ‘Dancing Light’, ‘Knot of Harmony’, ‘One Tiger with Two Birds’ and ‘Life is Part of Nature’ have come to be a source of inspiration for many people.

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