Past Exhibitions

Painted Visions from India and Pakistan, Past and Present Intimate Worlds: Masterpieces of Indian Painting from the Alvin O. Bellak Collection June 12–September 7, 2003 SAM Simonyi Special Exhibition Galleries

Delight in the detail! Intimate Worlds: Masterpieces of Indian Painting from the Alvin O. Bellak Collection comes to SAM from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where it was curated by Darielle Mason, Stella Kramrisch Curator of Indian and Himalayan Art. The exhibition includes an exceptional variety of fourteenth- to nineteenth-century paintings, once pages from illuminated books and albums. Extravagantly rich with color and detail, these images were enjoyed at leisure in the many courts of India. Each painting offers an astonishing and vivid view into another world: life at court in both serious and amusing moments, the varied flavors of romantic encounters, or tales of Hindu gods.

Even some incredibly small princely states maintained their own workshops of painters who created masterpieces of illustrated works from literature, portraits, and favorite subjects as requested. A cast of courtiers and divine beings appear in eye-popping architectural and natural settings, with exquisite patterning of textiles and jewelry and vivid color. Each is a kind of gem--a small, precious, and multifaceted object-so prized by the princes, also known for their collections of jewels.

Beginning in the sixteenth century, painting in India was transformed by the Mughal emperors, Muslims whose dynasty originated in Central Asia and who brought a passion for illustrated books, along with Persian master painters, to the imperial courts they established in India. A rare early Mughal portrait of a young prince from 1550–55 has been identified as none other than the soon-to-be Emperor Akbar, known for his exceptional religious tolerance and for presiding over the development of a remarkably vigorous new painting style.

Many princes of semi-independent states followed suit in maintaining smaller workshops of artists. Featured in the exhibition are the robust compositions of Rajasthan and the delicate idealism of the Punjab Hills in the foothills of the Himalayas, north of Delhi. Paintings such as A Prince Restrains a Rampaging Elephant emphasized the princes’ power and right to rule; here a prince hangs on while prodding an enraged elephant. Other paintings, such as Prince Pratap Singh of Ghanerao, detail the princes’ pleasure while relaxing, enjoying a puff from a huqqa and the attention of attendants. Tales of gods such as Krishna, Rama, and Shiva are well represented, particularly Krishna in many romantic and playful moods. In Radha, Enter Krishna’s Intimate World, a female friend of Radha leads her to the waiting Krishna in the lovely painting that lends its name to the exhibition Intimate Worlds. Several of the paintings reflect ties with Europe and Britain, and concluding the exhibition is a late nineteenth-century painting clearly done by a painter who was in competition with photography.

Organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Support in Seattle has been generously provided by The Seattle Times and the Seattle Arts Commission. Major support provided by the Seattle Art Museum Supporters (SAMS), with additional support provided by Citigroup Private Bank, Preston Gates & Ellis LLP, and contributors to the Annual Fund.

The Gods Sing and Dance for Shiva and Parvati, Ascribed to Khushala
Page from an unidentified dispersed series
Panjab Hills, probably Guler or Kangra, ca. 1780-90
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
9 x 12 15/16 in.
From the collection of Alvin O. Bellak