Shirdi Sai Baba was a revered saint and spiritual master in India with many Hindu and Muslim practitioners, even presently following his teachings. Although the year of his birth is not known accurately, some followers consider it either 1835 or 1838. He lived his entire life as a renunciant and formed beautiful relationships with his followers. Much of his life incidents and pastimes have been shared by his close followers. His name Sai Baba is a combination of Persian and Hindi words which denote him as a “Saintly person who is like a fatherly figure for everyone”. In this article, we shall closely observe Sai Baba’s glorious life journey and the message he preached.
Oil painting is a process in which pigmented paints are incorporated with drying oils. It is considered to be one of the most respected types of art. World-famous paintings such as The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh and The Kiss by Gustav Klimt were brought to being with oil paints. The most prevalent types of oils used in oil paintings are linseed, walnut, poppy seed, and safflower. Your pick of a certain kind of oil determines the impact on the paint’s properties and the canvas\'s outcome.
The earliest oil paintings were done by a Buddhist artist In Afghanistan dating back to the 7th century AD. The Europeans used earlier oil paint for statues and wood. From the 12th century, its common use for painting began in Northern Europe, and during the Renaissance period usage of oil painting was heightened which led to the removal of the egg tempera paints for the panel paintings. As far as the orthodox icons and wall paintings are considered egg tempera and fresco were relevantly preferred.
The beauty of the earth bathed certainly caught the attention of the early Indian artists and writers. From the poetry that inspired Saawan’s depiction in Baramasa paintings to the art of Ragamala where the rainy-season melody of Raga Megha is beautifully painted, from the rain-drenched lanes of Vrindavan where Radha-Krishna perform their Lilas to the fearlessness of Abhisarika Nayika, young heroine who walks through the dark forest during a rain storm in night, every corner of Indian art world is enriched with refreshing touch of rain. So pick up your cup of tea and coffee and come with us on an exploration of rain in Indian paintings.
Rajput paintings, from different sub-schools, depict the scenes of Radha and Krishna in the forests or gardens of Vrindavana, where Radha appears in the garments of Krishna as the blue-skinned Krishna veils his face with the chunri of Radha. Some of the inscriptions that accompany classic Ragamala paintings identify Ragini Bhairavi as a maiden (unmarried young woman), who is enamored by the aura of Bhairava, and with a single-minded devotional love, prays to Shiva, for receiving the hand of Bhairava in marriage. Seeing these artworks transports the audience into the romantic world of the subjects- a realm away from the narrowness of the world, where all expressions of Prema, Sringaar, and Kama have found an eternal, aesthetic haven.
