In Sri Aurobindo’s and the Mother’s vision of integral human development, cultivating a sense of beauty occupies an important place. The Mother said that it is one of the greatest weapons of the Asura at work when we are taught to shun beauty. She added that it has been the “ruin of India.”
“The Divine manifests in the psychic as love, in the mind as knowledge, in the vital as power and in the physical as beauty. If you discard beauty it means that you are depriving the Divine of this manifestation in the material and you hand over that part to the Asura.”~ CWM, Vol. 13, pp. 372-373
New Renaissance Series on Art
Taking inspiration from these words, we are dedicating several issues of Renaissance to explore the topic – The Spirit and Forms of Art in India. The series will explore Indian Art and Aesthetic traditions in the light of Sri Aurobindo’s and the Mother’s vision. As always, we will feature selected gems from the vast ocean that is their written works and conversations. We shall also highlight some writings of other senior sādhaka-s and scholars. And there will also be a few fresh perspectives and voices.
The subject is certainly a vast one.
We don’t claim that we shall be able to consider the subject thoroughly and fully. But through this series which will go on until July 2025, we hope to highlight a few salient aspects to help the reader gain a broad orientation to appreciating Art, in general, and Indian Arts, in particular. Our purpose is not to highlight the technical details of various art forms. Rather, the focus will be to highlight the deeper spirit of India as reflected in her diverse art forms and her approach to creating and appreciating art.
The First Issue in the Series
The first issue in our series, September 2024 explored the theme – The Purpose of Art: From Beauty to Bliss.
With 12 offerings, the issue is full of a rich selection of artworks and thoughtful discussion.
Read the Editorial
Browse the entire issue
The issue also includes two podcasts and a video.