At The Edge

Ain't got time for this. I am going to keep it short and simple. First: Origin of how the image ended up online In 2014, it was first released by online museum of famous Pakistani painter Abdur Rahman Chughtai (who had done painting with Krishna theme). The belief that it is Krishna showing Eid moon also comes from there. The original image with in Germany in private collection. Interestingly, the original caption by uploader talks of "two nations" and not just two religions. Since, subcontinent has no culture of properly citing sources, Dipankar Deb ( Swarajya, in a 2015 article) just used the image and didn't mention the source. And rest all it was copy-pasted over and over again. http://blog.chughtaimuseum.com/?p=1213 As for what is depicted, (it is amazing that people, even people who claim to be "true" hindus, can't even read these images clearly now):  The scene is the beginning of famous Govardhan episode. On the new moon day (of Shukla ...

October 2015.

Came across it in 'Art and Nationalism in Colonial India, 1850-1922' by Partha Mitter (1994) -0-

The Eye in Art by Dr. Rajendra Bajpai (1991) Publication Division Rs. 360 "The Eye could never have beheld the beautiful had it not been made beautiful itself first" -Plotinus As we see them today As it was rendered in old days As it was rendered in various schools  in old days Perhaps the best known - eyes of  (Radha) Bani-Thani drawn by Samant Singh's  best painter Nihalchand. Bani-Thani, the courtesan consort of prince Samant Singh of Krishangarh is believed to be the fabled inspiration of an entire style of drawing eyes in Indian painting- the eyes of Radha in Kishangarh School of Rajasthan. It is believed that the prince met her in Delhi, enamored, brought her to his kingdom, took on a poet name, nagri Das and wrote songs about her eyes: मद भरी, अखिय लाल तिहारी, तिनसौ  तकि-तकि तीर चलावति, वधति छतिया आनि  हमारी | -0- Some pop-trivia: among other things, her eyes were also the i...