Sometimes I wonder, how overwhelmed a curator must feel, when he decides to put together a leviathan number of artworks, each outstanding, into one tangible assemblage. How does he screen, how does he eliminate, and how does he win his battles with the inevitable overthinking? The book Shringara of Shrinathji, by Mapin Publishing, is one such example of a very neat, eloquently done compilation. It proficiently maps the evolution of Nathdwara paintings as seen through the lens of the late Gokal Lal Mehta’s collection, conceptualized by his grandson Vikram Goyal, the founder of Viya Home, one of India’s leading handcrafted product design studios.
•Shringara of Shrinathji’ by Amit Ambalal
• Conceptualised by Vikram Goyal
• Publisher: Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd; First edition (30 November 2021)
• Language: English
• Hardcover
• 192 pages
• Weight: 3.25 kg
• 82 illustrations
• Dimensions: 11 x 14” (279 x 355 mm) in a limited collector’s edition box set (11.8 x 14.7”)
• Country of Origin: India • Price: Rs.9,500/-
Encased in a striking printed book-styled box, this pictorial anthology features reproductions of sixty miniature Nathdwara paintings of the Pushtimarg tradition, a sect founded by the 15th century Vaishnava saint, Vallabhacharya Mahaprabhu. Never before has the historical opus from this particular tradition been published in such scope, quality, and detail. In addition, this oeuvre also showcases the golden period of Nathdwara paintings, one that represented a particularly highquality of workmanship. The Nathdwara paintings are an ancient and an essentially devotion-themed art form, passed on from generation to generation. The creations are purely permeated with feelings.
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