The Arati of Nala
by Ranjha. From the Nala Damayanti series.
Kangra School. Late 18th century AD.
Having conqueredin the four directions, Nala comes back to his capital. To welcome him back from his conquest, the priest perform a Arati on him in order to ward off any evil, and to pray for his health, wealth, peace and prosperity. Nala, true to his humility, sits with his head bowed. He does not display the usual arrogance of a conqueror. A coterie of his courtiers sit on the left, the court dancer dances on the right. The royal ladies, eagerly waiting to receive Nala, are confined to their palaces. The solemnity of the scene is broken by the rhythm of the musicians and the movement of the dancer.
Ranjha shows his interest in Western art, which was familiar to the Mughal artists, by playing with the perspective (three dimensionality) of the fountain in the foreground, and with the shadow playing on the wall from the flickering arati. He also tries to individualize the figures by changing the facial types and by introducing different colors for the same clothes. Notice the different colors of the turbans worn by the priests.
It is a world full of gaiety, music and dance. A world of humility and poise. A world where men and women are segregated. In the views of the medieval India, a world in order.
Ranjha shows his interest in Western art, which was familiar to the Mughal artists, by playing with the perspective (three dimensionality) of the fountain in the foreground, and with the shadow playing on the wall from the flickering arati. He also tries to individualize the figures by changing the facial types and by introducing different colors for the same clothes. Notice the different colors of the turbans worn by the priests.
It is a world full of gaiety, music and dance. A world of humility and poise. A world where men and women are segregated. In the views of the medieval India, a world in order.
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