Dr Archana Srivastava talks about her ongoing exhibition 'Divinity', a collection of 19 paintings that portray episodes from the Bhagawad Gita.
For 10 years, history scholar and dedicated Lord Krishna devotee Dr Archana Srivastava's imagination sprawled interpretations of episodes in the Bhagawad Gita. But to her, history is more relevant when depicted in a modern context. Not wanting to present mundane pictures, or the kind that have been explored over the years, she decided to add contemporary elements to her paintings.
“I have drawn dice instead of the ill-doers in the Draupadi episode, which elaborates on the event when Lord Krishna saves her dignity after she is put at stake in a game of dice and disrobed in the royal court. I haven't shown a typical royal court setting. For me, art is portraying things subtly,” says Archana.
Other paintings include one with 10 avatars of Vishnu arrayed in a circle, the Blue God’s numerous divine acts and Radha’s intense love for Lord Krishna. "It took quite some time just to get the perfect expression on Lord Krishna's face," explains Archana. With no professional training in art, Archana says she derives inspiration from the celebrated artist Raja Ravi Varma, because of the glow of his palette and the very obvious 'Indianness' of his subjects.
Dr Manisha Patil, artist and Professor of Art History at Sir JJ School of Art, says, “Many of her works have a theatre like space, where dramatis personae enact their respective roles, while the warm colour palette of deep reds, tangerines, Indian yellows, and umbers lend the paintings an air of divinity."
The exhibition is the culmination of more than eight hours a day of work for Archana, over two years. “My work reflects my deep-rooted love for history and is inspired from all the people I've met and books I've read. The motivation for this series was to take my interpretation of the Bhagawad Gita to a larger audience,” she says.
The exhibition is on from December 1 to 7 at the Jehangir Art gallery, 161 Kalaghoda, Fort, Mumbai from 11 am to 7 pm. Entry free.
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