Wednesday, December 24, 2008

talkative one instance

I find myself extremely chatty today. wish I could translate all that chattiness into writing as generally I suffer from writer's block. But once I start the writing, the flow if uninterrupted by reasoning is incessant and gems spill out. How I wish I can write the same way I talk.
I'm amazed that some writers actually can complete writing a short story or even a mini novel at one sitting. I think they must have learnt the art of spontaneously capturing their flowing thoughts without letting it spill into chatter or empty reminiscence.
I guess these writers have mastered the art of stilling the physical body just like a yogi, into total inaction (except for the fingers that is) to unleash and spontaneously record their flow of thoughts.
If I were able to do that I would already have been the author of numerous books by now. As it is I am the to-be author of numerous just-begun and in-progress manuscripts lying in my files and batched within my `to-do' paperbag.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

art - the cream of civilisation.

The modern civilisation that started in the 19th Century is a pseudo civilisation as it has produced no great art. What we revere as art in this age is the rantings and ravings of persecuted artists. Instead of rising to spiritual heights on reaching the climax of their work, serious modern artists mostly end up ruining their lives, both physically and mentally. Of course the not serious pretenders survive and flourish in wealth and fame, adding to the chaos of the age.
At the very beginning of this civilisation, there were the dying breed of artists who managed to leave behind some great works like the Renaissance artists and the overshadowed spiritualists of the great traditions such as Indian, Mayan, Egyptian and African, Chinese, Indo-Chinese and every other pre-modern civilisation of the world.
The growth of industries spurred by the spread of European colonial rule categorically destroyed every existing genuine civilisation of the world. The overwhelming greed and lust of the sensual and passionate European and later American populations and their leaders unleashed a populist wave of materialism throughout the world whitewashing the human psyche and standardising human art and culture.
This is the colourless world that we have now inherited.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

artistic soul

Can art reach the spirit soul? It certainly would, good art that is. What is art after all if not a spiritual expression especially considering that the essence of the spirit is absolute truth. Is not art concerned solely with absolute truth. Besides the fact that the expression of art is the language of the subtle mind or subconscious which is the vehicle of the soul.

Thus we can say that artists are pure spirit souls, unattached to the material world. We can go one step further and categorise them as transcendentalists who according to the 18th CenturyTamil poet, Subramani Bharathiar (Bharathiar or persona of Mother India) observed that while Subramani was a poor man, Bharatiar was beyond the human condition being seated on a pedestal and watching over the world. It was also Bharatiar who referred to himself as being an immortal.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Losing One's mother - an artistic perspective

I lost my mother on Nov 16. Although I am 50 years old now, in my mother's presence I had always felt like a 10-year-old boy. Now that she has passed away, the full import of my 50-year-old existance has suddenly become apparent to me. The sheltered life that I had led all these years has now vanished.
My shoulders are now gradually being weighed down by the increased burden of familial responsibilities passed down by my mother.
There is a great vacuum in my being that I am still trying to fathom. What is it that I have lost with my mother's passing?
When my father passed away in 2003, I could still withstand the loss as my mother being his representive was still beside us.
However now I am completely cut off from the physical presence of my parents. From the artist's perspective it appears the sky of my life has suddenly become cloudless. But I am confident that just as my father's spiritual presence became stronger after his disappearance, my mother's presence will be felt by me, stronger now than ever.
The bond of parents is an unbroken chain as until the time of our own death and probably even further, their benevolent glance will always be upon us from whichever realm they have moved on to.
In fact as parents leave their physical body, they leave a part of their postive karmic energy behind as a safeguard for their children. This energy depending on its strength looks after the children as a guardian angel.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

The life of an artist.

As mentioned in my post yesterday, a toddler's curiosity is the epitome of an artistic soul, and therefore one who manages to preserve this innocent curiosity to squeeze out the juice (rasa, which translated from the Sanskrit means mellow or essence) from every object that he perceives is an artist.
An artist is therefore never a comformist who changes and adapts his characteristics, mind and desires according to the requirements of material life of eating, sleeping, mating and defending.
I'm not saying that artists ignore the business of human life but rather that they do not do so by sacrificing their innocent curiosity to uncover the truth of their surroundings and their true eternal destiny.
I understand a true artist as one who strives for truth unlike the politicians, industrialists and scientists who have no qualms about distorting or even destroying the truth for dominant power, profits and fame.
As such artists cannot in spirit be part of the establishments of modern civilisation including religious and artistic institutions which thrive on fund management as for survival's sake they don't mind compromising on truth or even those principles enshrined in their belief or constitution.
An artist is never a cheat. His media is truth. This is portrayed in the beauty of his artistic creations be they paintings, sculptures, drama, literature or music. An insincere person's attempt to produce artistic works will show up in the glaring flaws in his works.
Of course in today's world many such insincere artists are making the mark everywhere as their patrons being politicians, industrialists and dry academicians being flawed personalities lack the purity to uncover the artist's flaws and end up being cheated in turn.

from science to art

I have been thinking about real science as opposed to the current science of half baked theories and abusive applications. The real science is based on lessons drawn from observation of nature and life experiences and not deductions derived from laboratory experiments.
I was wondering how ancient sages had studied the world and cosmos so thoroughly as illustrated in the various Hindu scriptures, without the use of laboratories or precision instruments as I was parking my car below the 17-storey low cost flats where I live. At this moment, I coincidentally witnessed a toddler which had just begun walking being led from a shop along a concrete corridor. The mother was trying hard to get the child to walk along with her as it was catching hold of and `feeling' the vertical beams of the metal grille gates of a closed shop. It dawned on me that the baby's curiosity in trying to investigate the shiny metallic paint coated metal beams would have been exactly how the wise sages studied the world and cosmos so thoroughly.
The sages who were themselves great artists, philosophers, scientists, writers and builders of the great monuments of ancient times, must have used the toddler's method of investigating and understanding nature and the cosmos.
Scientists today appear to be blindly groping in the dark trying to figure out theories and inventions in total disregard of nature thus creating great chaos in the world as seen by the onset of global warming, social ills, poverty, unnecessary tension and a general lack of happiness.
True enough in the arrogance of being able to manipulate nature (on a lesser level) in maximising the tapping of natural resources, creating and mass producing machines meant to increase comfort, fast and easy travel and transport and entertainment, all aimed at short term gains; scientists and world leaders are acting like God and have no qualms about undermining the natural realm that they are inhabiting.
It is my hope that soon, we can return to a way of life built around simple and effective nature based science and arts and bring happiness to humankind, other fellow beings and the natural world on the whole.

Monday, June 2, 2008

The definition of art.

I attented an art exhbition in glorification of Odissi yesterday evening. Many works of artists from India and Malaysia were on display at the Petronas Art Gallery. All the paintings were done with Odissi dancers and the characters they portray as the central theme.
Among the Indian classical dance traditions, Odissi is the most spiritually connected with its soulful dedication to Lord Jagannatha (Lord of the Universe) of Puri in Orissa.
The artists participating in the exhibition had the challenging and most fulfilling opportunity to exemplify the beauty and grace of the Odissi dance and its mellifluous music on their canvas and other media.
Some of the artists in particular the Malaysian artists contributed greatly to the exhibition producing intriguing pieces such as Bayu Utomo Radjikin, Syed Thajudeen, Yeoh Jin Ling, Jeganathan Ramachandran, Renee Kraal.
Instead of trying to demystify Odissi by viewing it from a practical aspect, the Malaysian artists chose to show their awe of the sacred dance.
Renowned Indian artists like Ilango and Jatin Das also through their wide experience drew out the true essence of Odissi using bold colours and flowing pencil strokes.
Rarely are artists given such a golden opportunity to bring out their best given the glorious nature of the subject matter of Odissi.
This is always the endeavour of artists to identify the essence of truth, beauty and such high levels of human consciousness for them to use as a platform to fully utilise their creative instincts.

liberator of bakasura

liberator of bakasura
krsna art line drawings by Rasa Rasa Rasika Devi Dasi (2002)

bloom

bloom
the new flower by chandramugila (2003)

About Me

i am a writer working with an English daily for the past 14 years. I specialise in environmental journalism and review art and culture.

Followers

slum child's pet

slum child's pet
a duckling being kept as a pet by a slum child in Manila.