image above: Mehrauli Archeological Park, Delhi, India

I have been reading excerpts from Nasreen Mohamedi’s diaries to try to get into her head/eyes/mind. Her diaries are reproduced in the book “Nasreen in Retrospect.” Here are a few of her daily entries:  

4^th July 1967 “Where do I stand in relation to space and thought The layers in Indian sculpture, in Arabic calligraphy In waves – in connection with my work”

13th July 1969, London “When looking at painting Sculpture or anything – examine each contour Each dot, surface.

18^th July 1969 “Study the EYE SPACE Observe some objects in Different light A cosmic rhythm with Each stroke Sounds and Vibrations”

There are three new posts which show a few of the structures, sculptures and paintings that I have been photographing/contemplating/and not yet drawing. India is so seductive. It is difficult to think and make art like Nasreen even though this is what I have set out to do. I realize how much she has reduced things. India is so NOT REDUCTIVE, it is so expansive. There is so much beauty and ugliness in abundance everywhere. I have been overwhelmed by the Indian art and architecture I have been seeing and studying. Being here makes me think of Nasreen’s work as all the more phenomenal – because it is so pure, so refined in this cacophony of India.

I have been going out to take pictures in various places. I photographed some of the ruins at the Mehrauli Archeological Park, a beautiful “stepwell” there and also the stunning tower of Qutb Minar. At the National Museum in Delhi I was overwhelmed by the sculptures – from all different eras, of course the Buddha’s. I have been researching once again the Devi or Goddess figures in sculpture and in painting. I have found some of the images of Devi in the Basohli/Pahari paintings from the 17^th and 18^th century at the National Museum. They have a huge collection of Indian Miniatures. I have studied these before – the lines, the colors are amazing and the energy is wild in these figures and paintings. Below are sets of some of these images I have been LOOKING at.

I have not started to draw yet. I am almost ready but truthfully a little intimidated by India and by Mohamedi.both. I am playing around with the black and white and the color. I have been here one week now, and I have a little more than 2 weeks left. There are three new posts below with images of Mehrauli Archeological Park and Qutb Minar, as well as some beautiful sculptures and some crazy Basohli Devi Paintings.