04 August 2017
In January, 2001 an earthquake shook the Indian state of Gujarat. Known as The Great Gujarat Earthquake of 2001, it was previously described in one of PRIMITIVE's New Arrivals: During the earthquake, many buildings were destroyed and lives lost. Those will never be reclaimed, and while the quake gave birth to many stories of resilience, recovery, and renewal, it also presented the opportunity ...
22 April 2017
As one would expect from any ancient culture, over time India has developed an exceptionally rich architectural heritage. This is evident in famous structures such as the Taj Mahal and the Ajanta Caves, for example; but it also becomes apparent in countless other structures dotting the entire country. Perhaps the greatest contribution of Indian architecture is the spiritual content found in man...
31 March 2017
The history of bronze metal casting in India and Nepal goes back thousands of years and is shrouded in the mist of antiquity. Originally, miniature images of Hindu deities came into existence to fulfill the religious and spiritual needs of local villagers. It is theorized their small size – from 1 ½ to 6 inches in height – came about so they could be carried in a small bag fo...
24 March 2017
Many of humankind’s earliest civilizations began on the banks of rivers, but it wasn't long before people learned to build dams to stem the threat of floods and droughts. The oldest known dam is located in Jordan and dates back to 3000 BCE. It’s evidence of humankind’s ability to harness and control the flow of rivers, which allowed villages to become cities; and ultimat...
19 May 2016
Several years ago I found myself in the home of a jute factory owner near the banks of the Hooghly River in Kolkata, India. The interior furnishings were strikingly ornate and surprisingly reminiscent of European style. A gilt console table stood near a large matching mirror. Several old school landscape paintings decorated the walls. High ceiling arches were supported by sleek white colu...
15 January 2016
An ancient term that translates as the 'science of arts and crafts,' Shilpa Shastra covers a wide range of decorative and sculptural disciplines such as painting, stone carving, carpentry, jewel making and pottery. The old Hindu texts of Shilpa Shastra address various design rules and principles such as proportion, composition and meaning, especially when it comes to the creation of deiti...
18 December 2015
Can you imagine a world in which humankind never learned to create fire? It would be an altogether different place, perhaps in ways we cannot imagine. What need drove humankind to harness fire? Perhaps it was the need to cook, provide heat or for protection; but maybe it was the simple need to illuminate the darkness. After all, fire was the only source of light until the electric light bul...
28 October 2015
Meret Oppenheim, a Swiss Surrealist artist in the 1920s, suggested that no matter how beautiful and well crafted a work of art may be, the most important part is the meaning and ideas it reflects. This could describe the world of collecting, which is as much about meaning as it is aesthetics – especially when dealing with religious art. Some religions are so complex, they may seem nea...
17 September 2015
Take a trip through time and space. Beyond the red sandstone walls of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, lies the sprawling town of Taj Ganj. Its winding streets are narrow, a holdover from the past, but in the present day they are flanked by tourist shops, an indicator of the town’s unchanging appeal. As you walk along, vendors call out from beneath slanted awnings offering drinks, food ...
19 August 2015
A very high form of devotional painting called pichvai manifested itself among the multitude of arts that developed around Pushti Marg. In Hindi, 'pich' means 'back' and 'vai' means 'hanging.' Taken together these words provide an apt description of pichvais, which are large, decorative paintings hung behind tables or mats filled with offerings and statues of Krishna. All pichvai dep...