Below are the checkpoints on my research progress, which I do using the advice on the example structure, which could be shaped thus:
- Title (your research question) – done; working title so far: Cultural and Symbolic Significance of Gardens in Ancient Japanese and Indian Visual Arts of byōbu and pichwai
- Introduction (what you are setting out to do)– done; the introduction is about Pichwai and Byōbu history, their origins and characteristics; done for 70% in previous posts;
- Methodology (how you intend to do it)- done; the research paper will be a contextual study;
- Literature in the field (who else has written or commented on your topic)-in process; bibliography contains my reference on books and academic research in the field;
- What you have discovered (data and research material) – in process;
- Analysis of what you have discovered – in process;
- Your conclusions– in the process;
Below is the development of my thesis related to the last three sites of the research structure above. New additions are highlighted in green ink.
Cultural and Symbolic Significance of Gardens in Ancient Japanese and Indian Visual Arts of byōbu and pichwai.
[2024] [Zhanar Subkhanberdina]. All rights reserved
Indian traditional visual art Pichwai and the Japanese traditional visual art byōbu are quintessential examples of how particular spiritual ideas have been represented in visualised forms. They are heavily loaded with cultural significance, with a garden as their main feature, a platform, and a stage where all scenes of existential phenomena unfold. In both cases, these artworks can be considered as attempts to communicate with an upper realm, bringing its fragments to a particular space on Earth. The difference in cultural and symbolic significance is determined by the difference in faith and spiritual beliefs. It will be interesting to explore these differences and how they are channelled in the details of the artworks in terms of their subjects. Gardens and nature hold profound cultural and symbolic significance in Japanese and Indian traditional visual arts. They serve as a key element of authenticity in both traditions; they are permanent features of traditional Japanese byōbu and Indian pichwai artworks.
Both visual art traditions employ gardens- plants and flowers as a bridge to the transcendental realm. In Indian pichwai art, the art garden is integral to the iconography of Lord Krishna’s devotees, a main scene for His “leelas“—divine playful activities. In Japan, gardens symbolise humans’ connection to nature, reflecting the core principles of Shintosim, Buddhism, and Taoism.
Areas of research: Garden representation in Ancient Japan and India Visual Art.
Also, I will research differences and commonalities in the evolution of both art traditions in garden representation as a visual element should be explored in the following domains: spatial and compositional, structural – what are the components of the garden, employed colours;
I want to explore in this research the differences and similarities in the visual representation of the garden in both types of artworks in terms of the following: a)Plant and flower symbolism in ancient Japanese and Indian visual art traditions; b) Spatial representation of the garden in ancient Japanese and Indian visual art. The byōbu and pichwai are visually very different. The gardens are depicted from dramatically different perspectives, especially regarding their elements and spatial decisions.
Plant and Flower Symbolism in ancient Japanese and Indian visual art traditions.
Pichwai is an integral part and a remarkable example of traditional Indian iconography. Among other essential attributes* of Indian iconography, Pichwai primarily uses flowers, colours, divine auras, and halo symbolism. The lotus flowers and a particular set of colours – green, dark blue, yellow or gold and red can be found in every Pichwai artwork piece, from ancient to contemporary, since all these elements are heavily loaded with spiritual significance. It is essential to observe that most Pichwai art exploits the garden as its permanent subject, a scene for its favourite God – Krishna. Rich and diverse representations of Gods* in Hindu spiritual tradition don’t necessarily imply the existence of lavish greenery, but the garden – is Lord Krishna’s favourite scene for His neverending plays. That makes the garden an inherent element of Indian iconography.
The typical visual structure for Pichwai paintings is Krishna and Radha, central pillar subjects in the garden surrounded by different characters, such as cows and gopis* (Krishna’s female romantic companions), water in the form of a pond or river. The garden is always represented by a Kadamba tree and lotus flowers. The Kadamba tree ( Neolamarckia cadamba) is a sacred plant in South and Southeast Asia. It is known for its distinctive, fragrant, ball-shaped yellow-orange flowers, which bloom during the rainy season. Its leaves are large, oval and glossy. The Kadampa tree is a fast-growing tree that can reach up to 45 meters in height. Nothing is spontaneous regarding what elements a Pichwai artist paints on the surface. The artists’ artistic freedom is enjoyed when the artist decides how to depict the sacred Kadamba tree. This tree, associated with Lord Krishna and His youthfulness, signifies divine beauty, fertility, love, spiritual path, and growth. In ancient paintings, the tree is depicted as a luscious green crown, hiding the stem; the stem is not accentuated at all. The lotus flower holds deep spiritual significance, symbolising divine beauty, rebirth and purity due to its ability to rise and bloom unblemished and spotless in muddy waters.
For the Japanese folding screens byōbu, the garden – plants and flowers – is the main subject. There is no particular God or persona as a main subject per se compared to pichwai. The viewer observes the plants and flowers, the river with waves or a pond, and a blooming tree or falling leaves. Most of the time, no one is engaged in some activity. It is just pure nature in front of the viewer’s eyes. The entire emphasis is on the movement of nature. The paintings have different flowers: peonies, cherry blossoms and irises. The most traditional and common plant is a bamboo stem and a cherry tree. The large tree is always depicted with great detail to its trunk and branches; the trunk is noticeable and thick, and the branches are painted with dramatic sharp emphasis, showing the bark’s rich texture, which is never the case for ancient Indian Pichwai tradition. This highlight on the rough and robust tree’s trunk has its own symbolism, designating much appreciated in the Japanese culture – a quality of resilience and endurance. This mirrors the concept of gaman – the ability to endure harsh, unbearable conditions and situations with patience and dignity. This only detail in traditional Japanese visual art makes clear that the Japanese paint our reality; the Japanese paintings are about Earthy experience with all its duality – gentle beauty versus harsh pain of existence.
This difference in artistic approach to the composition and details of the painting is directly related to core principles of Japanese and Indian spiritual beliefs. The main distinctive characteristic of Vaishnavism religious tradition is that God has a personality. God is a Persona – Bhagavan- with His/Her own desires, tastes and emotions. Japanese spiritual tradition, as a blend of Shintoism, Buddhism and Taoism, implies that ultimate reality is impersonal without inherent nature. This visual structure difference – a garden as a stage for someone and a garden as a main subject- creates dramatically different effects on a viewer.
to be continued
b) Spatial representation of the garden in ancient Japanese and Indian visual art.
The spatial representation of the garden in ancient classical Pichwai artwork is subject to the following key features: The garden occupies all negative space, the greenery flowers, and the foliage of trees look lavish, robust, and dense. The sky is usually absent or occupies much less space. The dark blue water is a permanent element traditionally placed at the foundation of the painting’s surface. The garden and water background and the main subjects – Lord Krishna with his female consort Radhe, copies and cows- all create a concentrated, almost packed image, reflecting a rich story’s narrative. It is important to note that Pichwai’s painting usually has many viewing points- there is indeed a lot going on as an artist aims to tell the story. In unison, the density of the painting and multiple viewing points greatly emphasises the existence of an upper realm; it looks and is perceived as solid, not less real than the viewer’s reality, if not even more. Another interesting feature of spatial representation in Pichwai is the absence of linear perspective in most cases, especially in ancient artworks. Objects are placed in layers on top of each other. This approach is determined by the storytelling nature of Pichwai as a genre. For example, in the Pichawai artwork below, we see a celebration of the Sharad Purnima* festival, when Lord Krishna dances with Radhe and Gopies. Each gopy ( Krishna’s romantic female partner) has her own Krishna for a dance, as well as those gopies flying above in aerial vehicles, because Krishna created numerous expansions of Himself. Thus, an artist needs space to depict multiple figures of Gopies and Krishna to show God’s capacity for expansion and a scale of festivity and celebration. Otherwise, the story will be untold or diminished. Since the task of Pichwai is to depict as much as the artist a narrative of the story in full detail, representing a reality beyond the Earth, there was no need to think about a realistic representation of our reality, which includes following the linear perspective rules.
Another notable ancient Pichwai work below is a remarkable artistic attempt to show the universe’s complexity. The surface is packed with figures engaged in different activities at numerous layers; a viewer can gaze at multiple viewpoints, each bringing their own part of the grandiose narrative describing God’s existence. Krishna is depicted as a prominent dark blue figure at the centre, as well as more miniature figures in 24 squares around the three sides of the surface, in flying vehicles, and inside two scenes at the foundation of the painting. This is quite an attempt to represent a cosmological scene with a primary law of God’s existence – his omnipresence, i.e. he is everywhere, as well as scientific theories in physics such as multiverse theory, the holographic principle, the fabric of Space-Time ( General Relativity) and Quantum Entanglement. The overall strong impression from this painting can be described as action; God is engaged in action everywhere.
In contrast, the spatial representation of many ancient Japanese byōbu paintings in terms of negative space usage is a monochrome flat gold area surrounding the subjects of the painting. The Japanese paintings are not that busy; there is no action. They give a deep impression of tranquillity, peace and serenity. The artists deliberately leave this “emptiness” of the space, letting it breathe and open. Creating “incomplete” paintings takes great talent and mastery since the artist carefully decides how to allocate the subjects and create the negative space in gold.
to be continued
Potential continuation theme for research: Why is the garden a central element for both types of visual arts? Here, I want to find answers to this question, exploring the garden from a scientific point of view, such as the garden as a restorative environment for human cognitive ability. There are several scientific theories to study which might be helpful in the research: a) A theory that should be covered is the “Biophilia Hypothesis,” which is about humans’ innate affinity for nature and living systems; B) research by physicist Roger S.Ulrich, who conducted significant and influential research on the therapeutic benefits of garden settings; C) research by Stephen Kaplan who developed an Attention Restoration theory ( ART) ;
Essential attributes of Indian iconography*: mudras ( hand gestures), multiple arms and heads, attributes ( ayudha), symbolic animals and vehicles ( vahana), divine auras and halos, colours and their symbolism, sacred geometry, third eye, cosmic dance (tandava), lotus symbolism;
“Gods” in Hindu tradition: It is important to mention that Hindu religious tradition recognises multiple forms of one God who can manifest Himself in endless forms and expansions.
Bibliography:
PICHWAI paintings in ancient India ( introduced via “ShrinathJi Pichwai paintings: Why we love them”, Indian Folk Art online on https://indianfolkart.org/shrinathji-pichwai-painting/ [accessed on August 5th, 2024]; “5 Pichwai Artists of India Whose Artworks Reign Supreme”, Rooftop, online on https://rooftopapp.com/5-pichwai-artists-of-india-whose-artworks-reign-supreme/;
also on https://www.architecturaldigest.in/content/pichwai-good-earth-mumbai/
Jyoti. (2024). TRANSFORMING TRADITIONS: THE JOURNEY OF PICHWAI ART OF NATHDWARA FROM RELIGIOUS ROOTS TO MODERN SPACES. ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts, 5(2), 98–110. https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i2.2024.1062
https://www.granthaalayahpublication.org/Arts-Journal/ShodhKosh/article/view/1062
https://indianartspalace.in/the-colorful-tradition-of-indian-pichwai-paintings/
More research on academic sources:
https://thedigitaleducation.org/blog/pichwai-paintings-a-complete-guide/
Latika Sanchiner, Dr Dolly Mogra, Documentation and Revival of Pichwai painting, Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR), JETIR, volume 10, issue 4, April 2023, An international scholarly open access, peer-reviewed journal, online on https://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2304A44.pdf [accessed September 1st 2024];
Khan, Dr. (2022). Article Pichwai painting of Rajasthan, online on Research Gate, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/363298398_Article_Pichwai_painting_of_Rajasthan [accessed on September 19th 2024];
Emilia., Ghose, Madhuvanti. Ambalal, Amit, 1943- Krishna, Kalyan. Lyons, Tryna. Shah, Anita. Bachrach (2015). Gates of the Lord: The Tradition of Krishna Paintings.Art Institute of Chicago
Twinkle Kataria, From Havelis to Galleries: Examining the Shift in Context and Relevance of Pichwai Art through Contemporary Devotional Artistic Expressions, 2023, online on Academia Eduhttps://www.academia.edu/108267221/From_Havelis_to_Galleries_Examining_the_Shift_in_Context_and_Relevance_of_Pichwai_Art_through_Contemporary_Devotional_Artistic_Expressions [accessed on September 10th 2024];
Priyanka Yadav, Ramratan Guru, Ushma Saini, Pichwai: the Tapestry Art of Nathdwara, Shodh Drishti, An international peer-reviewed preferred journal, Vol.14, #5.2., May 2023 online on https://www.scribd.com/document/680045442/PichwaiArtofNathdwara [accessed on September 12th 2024];
Japanese folding screens Byōbu. “Beyond Golden Clouds”, Japanese Screens from the Art Institute of Chicago and the Saint Louis Art Museum; edited by Janice Katz, essays by Philip K. Hu, Janice Katz, Tamamushi Satoko, Alicia Volk; @2009.
Kano School in traditional Japanese visual art, books: “Ink and Gold, Art of Kano”, Felice Fischer and Kyoko Kinoshita, Philadelphia Museum of Art, in association with Yale University Press, New Heaven and London, 2015;
George Williams, Shinto, Religions of the World, 2004; online
Encyclopedia Brittanica, Japanese Religion online
Bhagavad Gita
JeanArt 