Jnana - pure knowledge

My reaction to blogspot ban/blackout

[All paintings from The Art Renewal Center]

This painting which was published in THE HINDU recently brought back the memories of a college quiz contest. In that quiz this painting was shown as a series to clues to guess a particular character. It was there I discovered the strange relation between this 17’th century Dutch painting and arguably the most popular cartoon character Calvin (of Calvin & Hobbes fame).

Also this painting gives a chance to discuss about religious symbolism in European paintings. The material we will see in the course of this article is enough to write one more novel in the lines of Da Vinci Code. But before discussing all these issues let me elaborate on the topic that I have chosen to write today.

I will be focusing on two Dutch painters of 17’th century. There is a reason why I have chosen these two guys among many famous painters of that age. Pieter Claesz (1597-1661) and Willem Claesz Heda (1594-1680) belonged to same period and have done similar kinds of paintings.

Their paintings stand out from their counterparts for a different reason. While the painters of that time largely focused on portraits or landscapes, these guys chose “still-life” paintings. Their paintings are so realistic that it looks like a frozen photograph. Apart from their technical superiority there is a rumor that their paintings contain a hidden message.

To analyze their paintings it is important for us to understand the political situation of Netherlands at that time. History records 17’th century as the “Dutch Golden Age”. Netherlands at that time was rich and housed many artists who catered to the never ending demand for paintings. The popular legend is that there were more painters than butchers at that time.

The reason for the enormous wealth in Dutch during those days is attributed to the supremacy of that country in trade. It not only dominated the trade across different continents but also within European countries. The Dutch East India Company which was established in 1602 ruled the trade with Asian countries for almost two centuries.

Along with this the eighty years of war with Spain also ended during this time (1648). This war known as “Dutch Revolution” had many implications. One was the rejection of the divine rights of kings. In times where monarchy was considered to be granted directly by God, Dutch war proved that people could take power from King if he behaved against the wishes of public.

This change in political economy enabled the emergence of wealthy merchant class. The national economy of Netherlands soared with the establishment of new ports and sugar refineries. With the improvement in agriculture and diary farming Dutch was completely a wealthy nation. In fact one of the earliest banking institutes of Europe, “The Amsterdam Exchange Bank” was started in 1609.

This was a time when the liberal arts, science and literature scene in Dutch got a fillip. It is said that the wealthy merchants of that time prided in having large mansions. And painters were in much demand because they had to decorate the walls of their houses.

But there is one more development which changed the painting style of Dutch painters. Usually it is the monarchy or church which patronized the painters. Accordingly the paintings were influenced by Biblical characters as they adorned the walls of church. If royal patronage was obtained then painters would normally paint the portraits of royal family. Historical paintings also would be encouraged.

With the new found political independence of Netherlands, the painters were denied the royal patronage. Their main buyers were wealthy businessmen. Accordingly their subjects also changed. Though portraits of rich were done, landscapes gained prominence. And the “still life” genre which we are discussing today also emerged as a prominent form.

You may be wondering where the relation between Calvin and Dutch paintings is. Well, let me explain. Till now we have seen only one angle of Dutch revolution. There is one more angle to it which is far more important. That is the decline of Catholicism in Netherlands and the emergence of Protestantism.

In the mid 16’th century whole of Europe was gripped under the reformist movement. The reformists decried some of the practices of Catholic Church. Prominent among their beliefs were denying the authority of Pope and believing in more pure form of Christianity.

Among various schools of Protestants, Calvinism (proposed by John Calvin) gained dominance in Dutch. In fact it accepted Calvinism as state religion during that time. This meant that arts could not be used as a means to means to celebrate divinity. It is said that the Churches at that time kept the wall white because Calvinists believed in simplicity.

This new found division between arts and church resulted in a new genre of painting called “still life” which we are discussing here. So if not for John Calvin we would not have these paintings. By now you may have discovered the relation between cartoon Calvin and our protestant Calvin.

The cartoon character Calvin was named after John Calvin. It was because of Calvin’s inherent belief in fate which is same as John Calvin’s teachings. So here goes the relation between Calvin the toon character and Dutch paintings.

As mentioned earlier, with the onset of new religious thinking in Dutch the painters began to move away from Biblical influences. They began to increasingly focus on everyday life of Dutch. In this genre, Johannes Vermeer reached the new heights. His paintings usually were influenced from real life characters.

The important aspect of Vermeer’s paintings is his detailing. Most of his painting consist human characters (predominately female). Their daily chores such as writing letters, playing instruments are depicted in his paintings. He has also done a series on various professionals such as astronomer, geographer, painter etc.

His paintings have been subjected to much analysis. There are attempts made to understand the musical instruments of those times using his paintings. In addition to these portraits he has also done lot of landscapes. Overall Vermeer’s paintings can be a good point to understand the Dutch of those days.

But one form of still life painting I am obsessed with is Ontbijtje. Ontbijtje in Dutch means “simple breakfast”. This genre of painting was practiced by Pieter Claesz and Willem Claesz Huda. Even Floris Claesz van Dijck had done paintings in this style. Here the artist just focused on the objects on breakfast table and painted them.

There is a belief that breakfast paintings came as a counter movement to banquet paintings. Banquet paintings (banketje) depict copious arrangement of food items representing rich life style. Whereas Ontbijtje represents simplicity with everyday breakfast items assembled on table.

Is this simplicity influenced by the principles of Calvinism? May be yes. Because Calvinism stressed on simple thinking and these paintings may be just representing that. But interestingly these paintings follow a particular pattern which is hard to miss.

All paintings of Pieter Claesz and Willem Claesz Huda run on a fixed line. They all contain same objects. The typical objects are Roemer (17’th century wine glass), silver utensils, half peeled lemon, some fruits like grapes and apple, bread, cheese, nuts all assembled over a breakfast table covered with neatly ironed white cloth.

The typical observation anyone would do is why is that roemer will always be half-full, lemon will be half peeled (very less often sliced), silver utensil (mostly a flower stand) will be lying on its side. The table cloth rarely looks to be in place. Also looking at the table it looks like someone has already eaten some items.

Another important observation is that the table always looks to be beside a window. The window which will be at left of the table is a consistent feature in all paintings of Claeszs as well as that of Vermeer. I strongly feel there is some meaning behind all painters placing the window (the only source of light) in left in all their paintings.

Now the question is why someone should consistently paint the same objects over and again? Why should silver vas be depicted as fallen? Why should the glass be half full? What is the special meaning for grapes and bread in these paintings? We cannot dismiss them as coincidence because they are present across large number of paintings.

I have not got any theories for this. But my assumption is that silver being a costly metal its fallen status signifies the principle of Calvinism to reject lavishness. It symbolically represents the religious thinking of Calvin to renounce worldly pleasures. The same can be said about the lemon which is present across all paintings.

My guess is that lemon symbolizes the control of lavishness. Since lemon is used as digesting agent, its presence signifies that people should control their material urges. Probably this can also explain why the white table cloth never appears orderly across most of the paintings.

Am I correct in predicting the symbolism of these paintings? I do not know. But I strongly believe that work of arts allows for multiple interpretations. Whether it is music or painting, everyone interprets a piece of art with the help of their own understanding of the subject. And this is my interpretation.

Irrespective of the interpretations, I just admire the level of detailing and the sheer beauty of these paintings. I salute the masters who have given us such masterpieces which still inspire people to appreciate, analyze and understand them.

[Rajkumar photos from Roopataara

Judas photos from National Geographic Channel

Gandhi photos from Official Gandhi eArchive]

One of my cousins stays very close to the place where Dr.Rajkumar is laid to rest. She told me that it has become a daily routine for her to visit the place everyday. But surprisingly she has not entered the place still. She limits herself to the outer boundary of the place which today is a “must-watch” place for all visiting Bangalore.

The reason she gives for not entering the place is quite interesting. Being an educated cosmopolitan woman she does not like to join the brigade which today considers that place as a temple. People remove their footwear, carry flowers and pray before the place where Rajkumar is buried. The mass hysteria, she says, is unbearable.

People may argue that this is something common here. After all one can see a beautiful monument in Madikeri (Coorg) where the urn containing Gandhiji’s ashes are kept. Remains of Buddha have been worshipped all over the world. So what is the fuss if people start worshipping Rajkumar?

From last two months the Kannada cinema magazine “Roopataara” is running a story on Rajkumar. The crux of the story is to say that Rajkumar left the body at his will. He is supposedly had extraordinary powers which he attained through the practice of Yoga (Hata Yoga).

The story is told through the eyes of his Yoga teacher. That man claims that Rajkumar had mastered some tough feats in Yoga that included ability to leave the body at will. So Rajkumar did not die a natural death but had simply chosen to leave the body at his will.

According to the magazine the man knew his end had come and instructed his wife to look after the family. He had also cheerfully spent his last day with his servants, even posing with them for photos telling them this was their last opportunity. More importantly, he had even left his body before once.

Whether or not Rajkumar knew his death, some guys surely knew what to do to earn some quick bucks. The sale of the magazine has reached new heights because of this story. The story has given new interpretation to the personality of Rajkumar who till yesterday was only a superstar.

There has been no dearth of people who are quick enough to cash on the sentiments of people. Recent days have seen 3 mega releases of books relating to Rajkumar. In the absence of official autobiography or biography of Rajkumar, people are trying to write as much as they can to cater to demanding public.

Even when Rajkumar was abducted by Veerappan there were attempts by few people to milk some cash using audio cassettes. Among the many cassettes released that time one drama titled “Kaadinalli Kannada Ratna” (the jewel of Kannada in forest) is available in ka.com

Rajkumar the saint will definitely have more market appeal than the Rajkumar the superstar. As many argue Rajkumar the superstar was the necessity of those days when Karnataka as a political unit was emerging. What Rajkumar provided in those days was a collective identity for Kannadigas cutting across regional differences.

But in present days Rajkumar as a superstar has limited role in the society. So the market invented a new role for him – a saint. It was easy to put across the idea of Rajkumar’s yogic powers since everyone knew he was a yoga freak. But the easiness with which the story is being cooked surprise me.

Anyone having preliminary knowledge of Yoga will testify that Asanas is one thing in Yoga and attaining super natural powers is other. Yoga at one level is physical exercise which is performed through yogic postures. This is what is demonstrated by the like of Ramdev and this is what we saw in Rajkumar.

But to equate the ability to perform asanas with having super natural powers is the danger we are facing. Just because Rajkumar could bend his body to perform some difficult asanas does not mean he had power to fly in air! While asanas can be mastered by long practice same cannot be said about attaining special powers through Yoga.

I have just heard about the possibility of igniting the “kundalini” which is supposed to give one the extraordinary powers. People claim that one can fly in air, know the future and even time their death if kundalini is awakened. But the validity of these claims is not tested.

So to equate the ability Rajkumar to perform asanas to having supernatural yogic powers should be dismissed as pure gimmick. Otherwise there is a danger of these lies being established as facts in future. And as with many other historical characters, the legends gain acceptance more than cold facts.

To prove my point on why such attempts should be stooped I am taking up the case of Gandhi.

Hey Ram!

I recall reading a story somewhere about Gandhi. This is a story of two friends who went to see Gandhi when he visited Karnataka. They were told to wait since Gandhi was in toilet. The young boy could not believe that Gandhi too went to toilet like them! Because he always though Gandhi to be someone who is above all humans.

This incident mirrors our attitude towards historical characters. Our inability to accept great people as normal humans makes us believe on fiction more than facts. And we make conscious attempt to build that super human image of our heroes in our minds.

One example for this is the final utterance attributed to Gandhi. According to the popular belief Gandhi final words when Godse shot him was “Hey Ram!” He is supposed to have deiced what he had to say if he were to be assassinated. In his words “Even if I am killed, I will not give up repeating the names of Rama and Rahim, which mean to me the same God. With these names on my lips, I will die cheerfully”.

So did he foresee his assassination? Surprisingly Gandhi’s story runs similar to that of Rajkumar. Gandhi supposedly knew his end was coming. He is attributed as saying “I do not want to die... of a creeping paralysis of my faculties.... An assassin's bullet may put an end to my life”. Even on his day of death he is recorded as saying “Who knows what is going to happen before nightfall or even whether I shall be alive?”

We somehow have developed the uncanny knack of portraying the heroes the way many people like – omnipotent. So it is not surprising that we learn in our school that Gandhi said “Hey Ram” when bullet pierced his body. It is not that alternate theories have not emerged. But they are not heard as clearly as “hey ram” story.

Gandhi’s secretary Pyarelal wrote that his last words were “Rama Rama”. Gandhi’s niece Manu recollected that Gandhi’s last word was “Hey Ram, Hey Ram”. Gandhi’s personal assistant Venkata Kalyanam said Gandhi did not utter any word when the bullet was fired. But these versions have not gained much popularity as “hey ram”.

One should carefully study the impact of each of these versions on the image we have developed about Gandhi. If Gandhi cried with pain when bullet hit him, he would be like us! The image of Gandhi as a hero would be dented severely. So he was made to say some beautiful phrase.

To say “Rama Rama” was beautiful but as Mark Lindley say it would be total surrender to Rama. “Hey Ram Hey Ram” would be interpreted as helplessness which again was undesirable. But “Hey Ram” provided all the dignity and cinematic finish to a great man’s death. With such beautiful words his image would sit in public memory as saintly figure.

As with all great men even Jesus has seized to be a normal being. The details of his regular life looks to be erased carefully and only the images that further stamp his super hero image is retained. Coming in these times the gospel of Judas is a real revelation.

Forgive them, Father!

The portrait of Jesus as we know is that of a compassionate person. Even when he was nailed in cross he was supposed to have said – “Forgive them, Father! They know not what they do” thereby epitomizing love for others. But even the last words of Jesus are not same in 4 gospels accepted by modern church. Here is what they say

Mathew & Mark– “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Luke – “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit”

John – “It is finished”

One should note the attempts by the people to dramatize the ending of Jesus. Can a man nailed to a cross withstand all pain to utter these poetic words cannot be questioned. Because Jesus is not like us; he is a super human. So he has to speak such words or in other words we expect that he speaks such words.

Whatever it is NGC has further fuelled the controversy of hidden gospels. With Da Vinci Code raising questions on the basic tenets of Christianity, Judas gospel has carried it forward.

What this gospel by Judas essentially says is that Jesus chose Judas to complete an important task “You will sacrifice the man that clothes me.” So Judas is no more a traitor.

I personally feel this story should be accepted by church as official since it has advantages for them. Because it proves that by telling that Jesus himself chose his means to end his claim to divinity can be further strengthened. Otherwise atheists like me always question why Jesus (if he is so powerful) did not know that one of his disciples will betray him!!

It should be noted that gospel of Judas does not do anything harm to the divine status of Jesus. In fact it takes this to all new level. The fact that Jesus was all knowing still prevails.

This is the story template normally followed while writing any great person’s story. Whether it is modern west or the rural India, every saint is pictured in the same fashion. Remember that even today sainthood is an accepted practice in Christianity. Buddhists believe in incarnation of Buddha as Lama. It is better not to speak about such things in India.

The point I am trying to make through these stories is simple. I am strongly opposing the idea of painting Rajkumar in new colors. The idea that he knew his death beforehand (or saying he left his body at his own will) is a dangerous theory. If unstopped, these people may say that Rajkumar was an incarnation of God himself.

I think even Dr.Rajkumar would be happy if people looked up to him as great actor unlike the present developments where he is projected as super human possessing mystical yogic powers.