Indian art exhibition in Chicago
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Transcript of 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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