Garden and Cosmos: the Royal Paintings of Jodhpur April 16, 2009

Newly discovered paintings from the royal collection of Jodhpur form the core of this groundbreaking exhibition of 61 paintings and a silk-embroidered tent. Never before exhibited paintings from the desert palace at Nagaur reveal the emergence of a uniquely sensuous garden aesthetic in the 18th century; these delightful images present royal pastimes and the divine exploits of Hindu deities Krishna and Rama. This exhibition explores the dramatic shift that occurred in 19th century Jodhpur, when paintings of yoga philosophy led to a sublimely minimal aesthetic; these startling images, 4 feet in width, are unprecedented in Indian art. Ten 17th-century Jodhpur paintings borrowed from museum collections in India, Europe and the U.S. reveal the idiom from which the innovations of later Jodhpur painting emerged.