Book: Colours of Devotion: The Legendary Paintings and Textiles of the Vallabha Sampradaya, 1500–1900
Author: Anita Bharat Shah
Publication: Niyogi
Price: Rs 4,500
Be it music, sculpture, painting or any other art form, religion has had a dominant impact on each. COLOURS OF DEVOTION: THE LEGENDARY PAINTINGS AND TEXTILES OF THE VALLABHA SAMPRADAYA, 1500-1900 (Niyogi, Rs 4,500) by Anita Bharat Shah explores one such strand of this influence — that of the Pushti Marg, a sect of sanatana dharma. Replete with reproductions of pages from various puranas, miniature and pichvai paintings, museum artefacts and photographs, among other things, the book charts the influence of Shri Vallabhacharya on his devotees and their social life.
Krishna and the myths surrounding his life form the bulk of the illustrations, sometimes as direct representations and, at other times, as motifs inspired by these tales. The influence of the Nathdwara school of art is writ large.
