January 13, 2018 - May 20, 2018
This show is temporarily closed while museum staff addresses environmental conditions in the gallery. Click here to learn more about conservation and how the Carlos Museum safeguards the art in its care. Scheduled to REOPEN on February 20, 2018.
The Ramayana is the most celebrated epic poem in South and Southeast Asia. It tells the journey of prince Rama, from his banishment from the kingdom of Ayodhya, to his triumphant return. Denied the throne on the eve of his coronation, Rama finds himself exiled to the forest for 14 years, accompanied by his devoted wife and brother, Sita and Lakshmana. After Sita is abducted by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka, Rama wages war to ensure her rescue, aided by his faithful friend Hanuman and armies of monkey and bears.
The earliest version of the Ramayana, attributed to the sage Valmiki, was composed in almost 24,000 Sanskrit verses near the beginning of the Common Era. By the medieval period, numerous versions of the story appeared in vernacular languages across India and Southeast Asia. For 2000 years, this tale of moral conflict, familial piety, and violent folly has shaped religion, politics, and daily life through its varied renditions, from ancient sculpture to modern film. Many Hindus have understood Rama to be the incarnation of the god Vishnu and the embodiment of righteousness but, throughout time, authors and artists have emphasized the flawed nature of this all-too-human prince. The paintings in this exhibit date between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries and, for the most part, were created by master painters in the courts of the Rajput kingdoms of Northwest India.
"Tell the whole story, from beginning to end!” Sita exclaims in desperation to the vulture Jatayu as Ravana carries her away from Rama, “Tell Rama and Laksmana just how I was carried off!" The paintings in this exhibition demonstrate some of the diverse, often conflicting, ways in which artists have, for centuries, attempted to heed Sita’s plea.
“Tell the Whole Story from Beginning to End:” The Ramanyana in Indian Painting was curated by students in the class The Art of an Hindu Epic, taught by professors Ellen Gough and Marko Geslani from Emory’s Department of Religion:
Darby Caso
Parth Goyal
Kristin Kimberlain
Saayli Kokitkar
Marshall Kupka-Moore
Elizabeth Muse
Thomas Shen
Tarun Swaminathan
The exhibition was made possible through the generous financial support of the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Teaching and Training Fund.
Special thanks to Jayantilal K. and Geeta J. Patel & Family, Harshna and Pyush Patel, and William Torres for helping the museum enhance its collection of Indian paintings through gifts and loans.
Image:
The Coronation of Rama. Guler, India. ca. 1840. Opaque pigments and gold on wasli. Gift of Jayantilal and Geeta J. Patel and Family to further the study of Hinduism.
Dates: (1/13-, scheduled to REOPEN on 2/20, continuing to 5/20) Saturday, January 13, 2018 to May 20, 2018
Times:
Monday Closed
Tuesday 10AM–4PM
Wednesday 10AM–4PM
Thursday 10AM–4PM
Friday 10AM–4PM
Saturday 10AM–5PM
Sunday 12–5PM
Venue: Carlos Museum, Works on Paper Gallery, Level Three, Emory University, 571 South Kilgo Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322
Contact: 404-727-4282