The Eye of the Beholder: Depictions of Bhakti Devotion in Pichvai Art

Portraying Gopi's love for Krishna

A style which prompts deep reflection among the Pichvai tradition are the paintings which portray an absence of Krishna. Specifically, there are certain Pichvais which only display the Gopis, who were the milkmaidens of Krishna’s village whose selfless love for him is a key ideal in Hindu legends and traditions. Known as the highest class of Bhakti devotees due to their undying and pure devotion to their Lord, they are recurring motifs in Pichvais, mostly depicted surrounding Krishna and facing him with adoration.

While their clothes and jewelry may differ, their faces and expressions are drawn mostly identical. This style of painting originated from the Deccan or South region of India, and it saw an increase in the use of Gold and Silver rather than the bold colours in the original tradition. It could be interpreted that this evolution, especially in the images which do not depict Krishna, signalled that these images were intended to be more decorative rather than exclusively for spiritual functionality.

But a closer reading of the image and its context challenges this theory. In the image where only the Gopis are depicted, trees are recurring motifs, and they are meant to represent that Krishna is hiding among them or has used his magic to transform himself into one. This image then becomes an endearing depiction not just of the playfulness of God, but also of the love of his devotees.

Depicting transcendentalism in Bhakti

A key motif in these images that stands out are how the eyes are drawn. The eyes of the Gopis and the cows are always drawn half closed and curved, as though under intoxication. Coupled with their ever-smiling face, there is a sense that even in God’s absence, they remain under a kind of spell which could hint that he is present with them in some way. The intoxicated look in their eyes also makes them appear oblivious to their surroundings, as though they are so preoccupied with the spiritual love of God that they have forgotten physical reality.

God’s devotees in this picture then are portrayed as being able to transcend their circumstances. Through the eyes of his devotees, we are meant to understand that God is always with his devotees and that there exists a playful bond with them rather than one purely of reverence. The ideal of constant devotion regardless of circumstance is also perceived in the Gopi's ever blissful eyes.

And as we can learn about God from his devotees, we can similarly learn about art from its appreciators. In the earnest eyes of those that observe and try to appreciate art, we can find a kind of transcendence as well. Jeanette Winterson’s book Art Objects (1995) describes this transcendental power of art, claiming that art has the power and potential to resist the pessimism that comes with the limitations of our human existence in the lines “(w)e know that the universe is infinite, expanding and strangely complete, …. but in spite of that knowledge, the tragic paradigm of human life is lack, loss, finality…The arts stand in the way of this doomsaying. Art objects," (Winterson, 21).

Surrender

The phrase “art objects”, which is also the title of her essay, shows that surrendering to art has the power to resist the realities of the physical world and offer a form of escape and transcendence from it. This is another element shared with Bhakti meditation, as the meditation revolves around using the mind to transcend human existence and connect oneself with a higher power. All the details which were chosen to be left out of Pichvais, and the lack of variety between them, deliberately works not only to focus the mind on the images related to God, but also to draw the mind away from one’s self and material reality. The flat perspective, exaggerated features and use of repetition of Pichvais serve to create a sense of otherworldliness, which would have drawn the minds of devotees away from their physical world.

Modern images of Krishna, depicted above, offer a more humanlike portrayal, with proportional facial features, body postures, and three-dimensional shading. He emotes and smiles more naturally as a human would, and his surroundings are more naturally varied rather than repetitive. Walking round Tradition & Beyond, one would also notice price tags next to each Pichvai, revealing that they are up for sale. Once reserved for temple walls, these pieces are now available to be brought into the homes of devotees or appreciators of the art. We have entered the age of mechanical reproduction, where our proximity to the outside world has made art more accessible.

The reverence to Pichvais as religious artefacts is reduced, and critics like Walter Benjamin might argue that its aura is reduced. However, modern reiterations of the Bhakti tradition, such as Hindu leader Jagadguru Kripalu Maharaj's Prem Ras Siddhant, promote the idea that one can meditate on God's form that appeals to them, such as in the lines "If you desire to worship God in a form that has not been referred to in the scriptures, you are free to do so," (Maharaj, 405). The words "free" and "desire" now place the emphasis on the personal choice of the devotee, situating Krishna into the material world rather than creating an inhuman world for devotees to inhabit mentally.

The modern and more realistic painting style of Krishna images reflects this idea, showing that God is a part of our world and allowing for his meditation among devotees to be situated in our physical reality. Similarly, modern art has become situated within our physical world. In both cases, while their grandeur might be diminished, new potential for transcendence arises from making God and art parts of our lives.

To learn more about the Pichvai painting style and its relation to Bhakti, read more.