CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Cornell University Library ND 2049.D44F4 The festival of life; picture • of man, w° 3 1924 008 657 631 «..»»« The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924008657631 PESTIVAL'FLIFE PICTURES op MAN WOMAN 6 CHILD JEEVAN MANGAL FESTIVAL OF L PICTURES OF MAN WOMAN e? CHILD by kanu desai IFE D. B. TARAPOREVALA SONS & Co. HORNBy ROAD • BOMBA^-l All rights reserved by the, Artist ND ttrU.^io Printed By B. P.Rawat at Kumar printery, I4J4 Raipur, Ahmedabadand Published by Kami Dcsai at Kumar Karyalaya Ltd., 1454 Raipur, Ahmedabad To Jayantilal Thakore Pranlal Thakore Jagatprasad Thakore CONTENTS The Gift The Cradle Grand-mother Initiation Divine Grace Sweet Annoyance Fairy Tale Festival of Life FESTIVAL OF LIFE KANU Desai conceives lovely visions of life and sets them on paper in his inimitable way. He weaves the daily world of experience in silent poetic nu.nbers. His mind which created before, the exquisite 'Pictures of Love, Life and Marriage', as a preliminary to conjugal life is now enraptured by its actual experience and expresses itself in a fresh creation, 'The Festival of Life.' His clear-seeing artistic eye is able to discern that the human child is not merely an outcome of sex-attraction but is an ambrosial essence issuing from the inmost springs of the soul. The observers of the accompanying pictures, it is expected, will experience the sweet fragrance spreading forth from the Divine Garden of the Great Dispenser and not the dream of secret and occasional human dalliance. In the very first picture entitled 'Gift' the artist sets forth a young wife returning from paternal home after the first child-birth. She presents 'the immortal art of the soul' to her eager young husband, who extends his arms of welcome to the new life, with eyes feasting on the beloved's face in ecstatic joy. Look carefully at the face of the young lady. What is occupying her thoughts at the moment? She may be speaking to herself: "Here is our dear delight' for whom our elders propitiated great many gods and goddesses. Here is the result of our soul's union." Even to a casual onlooker of lines in these pictures, it is needless to dilate upon details regarding the wonderful unity of facts, emotion and technique. The next picture is 'the cradle' which reveals the real poetry of life flowing from the same fountain of emotional unity. Here is a mother plunged in delcious dreams holding the string of the cradle while her darling is asleep. The juxtaposition of characters and the lines depicting the surrounding world are entirely appropriate. A mere glimpse of the baby's fore- head from the cradle presents picture of perfect loveliness. Herein lies the characteristic style of Kanu. 'Grandmother' is the title of the third picture. This venerable old lady showers her choicests blessings upon her dearest who is spreading sunshine in the life of the newly wedded pair. She seems to set aside the burden of life she has so long endured and finds freshness and peace in the cheerful company of the child. She forgets disparity of age and is lost in raptures in his artless lispings and innocent play. In the fourth picture 'Initiation' the artist exhibits the house-steps which symbolise the child's embarking upon life's journey. A present-day cultured Gujarati mother is represented in an environment of domestic bliss to the ample credit of the artist. The fifth picture which is styled 'Divine Grace' shows that notwithstanding the numerous researches of science, every affectionate soul is bound to beseech best luck to the dearest ones by invoking the Invisible Power. If mass prayers are celebrated for the welfare of the royal princes, it is not at all surprising when a mother pacifies her mind before the placid image of the Supreme Deity in the interest of her own darling. This picture stands forth as a unique sample of serene power and quiet conception. The artist had suddenly seized an altogether new point of view. It is a splendid example of originaliy and bold delineation. Though the eye clearly sees the difference between the stone image and the animating characters yet it is the force of the former which fills the whole atmosphere. The sixth picture is a successful piece of Kanu Desai's suggestive art. The blissful mother delighted with the sportive trick of her darling is submerged in the flood of joy bursting forth from his laughter. How artistically the Gujarati lady is delineated with a few strokes of simple lines ! A glance from her head to hand which is poised on the ground makes us forget the lines but acquaints us full with her gentle and graceful person. And her attire does not consist of mere cuts of lines. Her sparse-woven Sari with its soft folds, adorning the life of Gujarat is" a beautiful illustration of the artist's observation; This is the most novel composition in the whole series. There are plenty of pictures which surprise the eye with dazzling brilliance, but Kanu's pictures being conceived with some rare skill are full of charm and delight. The seventh picture consists of 'A fairy Tale'. There is an hour of the Indian night, a little after sunset, when the heat and disquiet of the day have ended, wherein a deep and mystic atmosphere thickens which inspires imagination and creates a i world of dreams. From times immemorial, this mystieal outlook has given birth to innumerable talesand folk- tales of infinite interest and the greatest credit goes to the child as the inspires It is the child who spurs the mother's imagination and the latter is obliged to create endless forms of fancy. The present picture reveals this pleasant fact and is a living embodiment of poetry impre- gnated with Indian culture and rare simplicity. With what curiosity and sense of wonder the child is looking at the figure of a beautiful 1 fairy flashing on the mother's face! It is indeed certain that a child derives greater pleasures from fairy tales then those from vast empires. In the musical lines of the eighth pictures entitled 'Festival of Life' is glorified the human child who consecrates the garden of' this world. Life loses all its flavour if man cannot feel the melody of child's flute- It is the child who helps each and all, whether king or pauper, rich or penniless, to realise the shining vision of life. The youthful pair of this picture enjoys the rhythmic dance of that everlasting song of life in tune with the child' The artist has in- tensified the interest by proper and adequate lines. Let this music pervade the whole world like the rapidly emerging lines of this picture. ~ It is impossible to express the universal purpose in man's imperfect utterance. It can however, be realised in the reciprocal love-creations of living beings. It is only here that life becomes a festival. May this picture-series spread' the melodious strains of that music in every home. Ra'tilal M. Trivedi The Cradle tra*f Grand-mother SPfrn Divine Grace 3l*U Sweet Annoyance nm Fairy Tale Tffaqi Festival of Life sft^ HW From the Pen Pencil and Brush of KANU DESAI SILHOUETTES Parti Part II, WATER COLOURS Part I Part II NRITYA REKHA RANGALAHARI Part I Part II LAGNOTSAVA MANGALASHTAKA FESTIVAL OF LIFE FOLK-RITUALS MAHATMA GANDHI , INDIA'S PILGRIMAGE MIRABAI RUPREKHA SHREE LEKHA : SHR1NGARIKA INDIAN LANDSCAPES In Preparation PRANAYA MADHURI UMAR KHAYYAM GITA-GOVINDA ' R AMAYANA SEASONS & To be had from Kumar Karyalaya Ltd. Ahmedabad D. B. Taraporevala Sons & Co. Bombay '^glggH^ r s# 3.Q-0