ShivaFan
22 August 2012, 01:13 AM
Namaste
A Story of a Poster
It had been haunting my mind for weeks. I had mentioned awhile back in a previous post about a particular Krishna poster, a print that back in the 1960’s and early 1970’s was not too difficult to obtain in the United States but dear to those who possessed it indeed. This print could be found in the apartment or make shift temple of flower children in San Francisco, in the “Western” temples of both Vaishnava and Saiva be they a small rental in New York City to a beautiful home in Boston.
This print was special. Not only because of its significance, but it indeed was the gateway to Hinduism for so many. And it was even a gateway in itself.
I wanted to share this poster with the members of the forum. But if I took my personal copy and tried to scan it, well it is too large to scan, and honesty too precious to be subject to any mishandling. For those who see it (below), you may recognize it. It is very much beloved by many, many in America. It has its own history, if you will. It came from India. I am not sure when these were produced, probably in the 1940’s and 1950’s – they all have a slight yellow tone to them. Some were later reprinted on thinner paper and glossy, but for some reason they simply never had the same quality. Some were used as artist subjects and thus repainted and then also printed to paper as posters. But these never had the same quality, either. No, these originals – they were special.
Back then, you could walk into an “Indian grocery” and find a stack of them. They sold for only 1 dollar, sometimes two dollars perhaps.
I carefully took my copy and read the “fine print” at the bottom. For some reason I was thinking “Sharma”. Then it came to me. Varma. That was the name. I had been searching the internet several times, sometimes for hours, trying to find an image of this print but no luck. If I could find it, I could share it.
Today I found it. Below is the image. If you have this poster (one of the original lithos), hold on to it. It is very much desired. You are very lucky indeed.
http://storage.canalblog.com/12/58/771277/57687150_p.jpg
The artist was Raja Ravi Varma (“Ravi Varma”, sometimes spelled Verma). His paintings of Deva and Devi made their way to such posters, two of which I share as thumb nails below (looks like that's the limit allowed as far as thumb nails ... one is of Lakshmi, the other Saraswati).
They are all of notable beauty. And majesty. Many souls looked deep into them, many hours by souls accumulated in simply looking at the beauty. The most classic are shared below, but there were many. They all look out at you, as well.
A little research showed that Raja Ravi Varma was born in a Malayalam family in the princely state of Travancore on 29th April 1848, in the Kilimanoor Palace home of the Travancore Rulers in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He died on 2nd October 1906. His paintings became the legends of religious prints and posters that travelled the world over, including to America, Canada and England. Most were printed by S. S.Brijbasi & Sons, they were Oleograph Prints from Bombay. The original paintings are now in museums in India, and in Europe and in Russia, and other places. 1,000 years from now, they will still be remembered by souls.
Enjoy, and see the thumb nails below as well.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pCG_c3Rq788/TC7-1ED1FpI/AAAAAAAAIFE/b3mJAGBQrBs/s400/SARASWATI.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pCG_c3Rq788/TC76qJxHX9I/AAAAAAAAIEM/2xF4AcbN0As/s1600/AMBIKA.jpg
Om Namah Sivaya
A Story of a Poster
It had been haunting my mind for weeks. I had mentioned awhile back in a previous post about a particular Krishna poster, a print that back in the 1960’s and early 1970’s was not too difficult to obtain in the United States but dear to those who possessed it indeed. This print could be found in the apartment or make shift temple of flower children in San Francisco, in the “Western” temples of both Vaishnava and Saiva be they a small rental in New York City to a beautiful home in Boston.
This print was special. Not only because of its significance, but it indeed was the gateway to Hinduism for so many. And it was even a gateway in itself.
I wanted to share this poster with the members of the forum. But if I took my personal copy and tried to scan it, well it is too large to scan, and honesty too precious to be subject to any mishandling. For those who see it (below), you may recognize it. It is very much beloved by many, many in America. It has its own history, if you will. It came from India. I am not sure when these were produced, probably in the 1940’s and 1950’s – they all have a slight yellow tone to them. Some were later reprinted on thinner paper and glossy, but for some reason they simply never had the same quality. Some were used as artist subjects and thus repainted and then also printed to paper as posters. But these never had the same quality, either. No, these originals – they were special.
Back then, you could walk into an “Indian grocery” and find a stack of them. They sold for only 1 dollar, sometimes two dollars perhaps.
I carefully took my copy and read the “fine print” at the bottom. For some reason I was thinking “Sharma”. Then it came to me. Varma. That was the name. I had been searching the internet several times, sometimes for hours, trying to find an image of this print but no luck. If I could find it, I could share it.
Today I found it. Below is the image. If you have this poster (one of the original lithos), hold on to it. It is very much desired. You are very lucky indeed.
http://storage.canalblog.com/12/58/771277/57687150_p.jpg
The artist was Raja Ravi Varma (“Ravi Varma”, sometimes spelled Verma). His paintings of Deva and Devi made their way to such posters, two of which I share as thumb nails below (looks like that's the limit allowed as far as thumb nails ... one is of Lakshmi, the other Saraswati).
They are all of notable beauty. And majesty. Many souls looked deep into them, many hours by souls accumulated in simply looking at the beauty. The most classic are shared below, but there were many. They all look out at you, as well.
A little research showed that Raja Ravi Varma was born in a Malayalam family in the princely state of Travancore on 29th April 1848, in the Kilimanoor Palace home of the Travancore Rulers in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He died on 2nd October 1906. His paintings became the legends of religious prints and posters that travelled the world over, including to America, Canada and England. Most were printed by S. S.Brijbasi & Sons, they were Oleograph Prints from Bombay. The original paintings are now in museums in India, and in Europe and in Russia, and other places. 1,000 years from now, they will still be remembered by souls.
Enjoy, and see the thumb nails below as well.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pCG_c3Rq788/TC7-1ED1FpI/AAAAAAAAIFE/b3mJAGBQrBs/s400/SARASWATI.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pCG_c3Rq788/TC76qJxHX9I/AAAAAAAAIEM/2xF4AcbN0As/s1600/AMBIKA.jpg
Om Namah Sivaya