Art Jargon and What It Really Means
Using works from our modern and contemporary art collection, we decipher terms used very often by critics and art insiders
Manish Soni
Locating Christ: Ranjit Hoskote in conversation with Paul Abraham
“Modern, contemporary, ancient, folk. All of these terms really dissolve in the face of art-making.”
Issanama at the Serendipity Arts Festival 2018
We could not have asked for a more perfect location for this very special debut
Meet the Muse
The Issanama may be the story of Jesus, but it draws from a syncretic narrative of history as embodied by Emperor Akbar’s incredible Hamzanama folios
Prayer at Gethsemane
This painting is an interpretation, Jesus prays to his father on the night before his crucifixion. The artist Manish Soni has employed a distinctive Hamzanama trope to convey the intensity and pathos of this scene.
Raising of Lazarus
This folio titled ‘Raising of Lazarus’ is a part of the Issanama series. The Issanama commission lies at the intersection of art and history, and offers lush evidence of the plurality and syncretism inherent in Indian culture. It’s an artistic collaboration between the founder of Sarmaya, Paul Abraham and traditional miniaturist and third-generation artist, Manish… Read more »
Calming the Storm III
This folio titled ‘Calming the Storm III’ is a part of the Issanama series. The Issanama commission lies at the intersection of art and history, and offers lush evidence of the plurality and syncretism inherent in Indian culture. It’s an artistic collaboration between the founder of Sarmaya, Paul Abraham and traditional miniaturist and third-generation artist, Manish… Read more »
Calming the Storm II
This folio titled ‘Calming the Storm II’ is a part of the Issanama series. The Issanama commission lies at the intersection of art and history, and offers lush evidence of the plurality and syncretism inherent in Indian culture. It’s an artistic collaboration between the founder of Sarmaya, Paul Abraham and traditional miniaturist and third-generation artist, Manish… Read more »
Calming the Storm I
This folio titled ‘Calming the Storm I’ is a part of the Issanama series. The Issanama commission lies at the intersection of art and history, and offers lush evidence of the plurality and syncretism inherent in Indian culture. It’s an artistic collaboration between the founder of Sarmaya, Paul Abraham and traditional miniaturist and third-generation artist, Manish… Read more »
Calming the Storm (triptych)
This intricately detailed triptych tells the story of Jesus calming the storm. The first of the panels, Jesus stands at the bank of the river, pointing towards the boat which will take him and his disciples to the island where they can rest.
The Temptation of Christ
This folio titled ‘The Temptation of Christ’ is a part of the Issanama series. The Issanama commission lies at the intersection of art and history, and offers lush evidence of the plurality and syncretism inherent in Indian culture. It’s an artistic collaboration between the founder of Sarmaya, Paul Abraham and traditional miniaturist and third-generation artist,… Read more »
The First Miracle at Cana
This folio titled ‘The First Miracle at Cana’ is a part of the Issanama series. The Issanama commission lies at the intersection of art and history, and offers lush evidence of the plurality and syncretism inherent in Indian culture. It’s an artistic collaboration between the founder of Sarmaya, Paul Abraham and traditional miniaturist and third-generation… Read more »
Samaritan Woman at the Well
This folio titled ‘Samaritan Woman at the Well’ is a part of the Issanama series. The episode depicts the meeting of Jesus with a woman in Samaria, who gives him water to quench his thirst and a conversation between them follows. The Issanama commission lies at the intersection of art and history, and offers lush… Read more »
The Last Supper
The scene here shows Jesus and his twelve apostles huddled around a fire, on what seems like a cold and silent night, for a simple meal. This painting is the artist’s homage to a great work by the 18th-century Pahari master Nainsukh.
The Baptism of Christ
This is a reinterpretation of the Biblical episode in the style of the Hamzanama original titled ‘The Prophet Elijah Rescuing Prince Nur ad Dahr’. The juxtaposition of the figures in this work with the original folio is interesting, and so is the clever replacement of Christ in place of the prince.
Jesus at the Temple
This folio titled ‘Jesus at the Temple’ is a part of the Issanama series. The Issanama commission lies at the intersection of art and history, and offers lush evidence of the plurality and syncretism inherent in Indian culture. It’s an artistic collaboration between the founder of Sarmaya, Paul Abraham and traditional miniaturist and third-generation artist,… Read more »
The Birth of Christ
This folio titled ‘The Birth of Christ’ is a part of the Issanama series. The Issanama commission lies at the intersection of art and history, and offers lush evidence of the plurality and syncretism inherent in Indian culture. It’s an artistic collaboration between the founder of Sarmaya, Paul Abraham and traditional miniaturist and third-generation artist,… Read more »
Grindlay’s Bank
On 7 April, 2018 a team from Grindlay’s Bank, Mumbai spent the morning getting a sneak peek at our Issanama commission before it was unveiled to the world. Just one of the many perks of being in the audience at Saturdays at Sarmaya! To join us for the next one in Mumbai, write in to us… Read more »
The Christ Commission
Sarmaya has collaborated with celebrated Rajasthani artist Manish Soni to reimagine Christ in a new light and through an Eastern lens. With support and direction from Sarmaya founder Paul Abraham, Soni has revived the ancient Mughal art of Hamzanama painting and used the form brilliantly to retell the legendary tales we know so well.