Goddess, Lion, Peasant, Priest

The Oglethorpe University Museum of Art is hosting a new and exciting exhibit, Goddess, Lion, Peasant, Priest, featuring modern and contemporary Indian art. The exhibition shows work from the mid-20th century to present, and ranges from portraiture, genre scenes, rural and urban landscape to historical content. Much of the art has a strong "modern-esque" abstract expressionist influence.

Curator, Rebecca M. Brown said, “The paintings in Goddess, Lion, Peasant, Priest all date after 1947, the year India gained its independence after two centuries of British colonial rule.” The work selected for the exhibit challenges uncertainties of identity, tradition, and urban culture in India.

The work in the exhibit seems to cross over several themes of Indian culture however, one of the main underlying messages is Who is modern and contemporary India?

The exhibit attempts to answer this question by anchoring the figural, whether deity, animal, man, or woman. Brown adds, “the exhibit is not linear but rather shows a wealth of imagery from all walks of life, from the poorest citizen to dynamic deities.”

The exhibit addresses social, religious, and political questions. How can India be modern and traditional? What roles do religion and spirituality play in our lives?

Brown suggests that the exhibit shows many angles to the Indian figure such as diversity through deconstruction, spirituality and meditation, as well as gender definitions in art.

The collection on display at Oglethorpe this Spring was donated by Donald Rubin, a former student of Oglethorpe University, and wife Shelly Rubin who began collecting in the late 70’s. They are best known as the founders of the Rubin Museum of Art (RMA), an institution dedicated to the preservation and presentation of art of the Himalayas in New York.

Brown includes “The exhibition advances Shelley and Donald’s ambition to give prominence to artists from southern Asia and provide viewers an opportunity to explore their work.”

The art included in the exhibit shows work from well-respected Indian artists including Maqbool Fida Husain and Francis Newton Souza as well Maniklal Banerjee, Arpana Caur, and Gogi Saroj Pal.

If you are interested in seeing this exhibition, make sure to visit soon as the exhibition runs only from March 15 - May 15, 2011. The museum hours are Tuesday – Sunday: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. with docent tours on Sundays at 2 p.m.

Admission is free for Museum Members, OU Faculty, staff, and students, and children under 12.

The cost for non-members, students and senior citizens is $5.