Photographs by the Indian photojournalist Homai Vyarawalla are on display at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/24/arts/design/candid-photos-by-homai-vyarawalla-at-rubin-museum.html?pagewanted=all
This photograph was in the New York Times this morning. I pass it on for you to enjoy.
I think I just used a trackback to send a ping back.http://starscrutiny.wordpress.com/2012/08/20/what-they-miss/ It was my grand daughter’s first trackback. Oh my, here I am teaching her how to blog by having her be a guest on my blog and she knows more about it all than I do! It does show how we are from all over the world expressing our opinions. Each time I write something, a new door opens. I read or see something interesting from another person in the world. I learn from them and hopefully, I give a few minutes of contemplation to someone else. Megan viewed the stat page of our blog from France, where she saw the map representing people who read her blog from all over the world – 98 hits one day during the first week! How great is that? Apologies for the fuzzy photograph, but this was the specific day and this was what I shot.
When I went through radiation, I distracted myself by making art. When my expectations of life don’t go the way I hope, I plunge myself into my art. When I want to relax or when I want to have a good fight with a canvas, I make art. Art is in my bones.
The following is a true story about a woman who used art to survive a very lonely existance.
Sonabai was discovered by the Indian artworld and awarded India’s highest honor given to an artist, the President’s Award.
She grew up in a house full of relatives living a full, happy life. Through an arranged marriage, this 25 year old married a 45 year old widow. He was a jealous man and moved her out of town where she had grown up and forbid her to have any contact with anyone. She was only allowed to go the the well behind her house and to the fields to work. One day she wanted to shield herself from the strong sun. She built a bamboo structure, covered it with clay and painted the screen white. Sonabai gave birth to one son. Soon the boy needed a toy with which to play. She made some clay and paint with the natural materials found within her compound and created a horse. After that she embellished her house and added to the lattice. She created ornaments, images of people, Hindu gods and goddesses and more. There has been an exhibit of her work in San Diego, California http://www.mingei.org/exhibitions/sonabai
Devotion
Temple dancers shadow smoke,
pierce woven sunlight.
Blessings balance fierce tongues:
worship spills saffron song.
Priests prepare flowers and cloth.
Fresh flowers and food are brought.
Clanging, shouting, dark and light,
sweet sandalwood, incense burnt.
Tradition wrapped crowds chase
autumn silver throne.
Lord Shiva and Parvati are put to bed.
Mitered bamboo picks
stitch leaf plate.
The cow is served dinner.
(click on the image to make it bigger)
