Page 43 - Studio International - December1996

Tantra Art
A review article by F. N. Souza
Above Manas-Chakra, the eight divisions of the mind
Painting on cloth, 1769
Rajasthan
Facing Brahmanda Stone Banaras
Within the Brahmanda is the sound generating
the rhythms which sustain every form
Ravi Kumar has published an incredible art book. * The
pictures are very pretty, and when you look for dates you
will be absolutely astonished to find that parallels to
pop art, op art, even Rothko and Mondrian were done
some centuries ago, in India of all places. You will be
saying again and again: `It's all been done before' as
you look through this amazing book. Unfortunately, the
text is rather poor, and does not explain clearly and
sufficiently what Tantric Art is really about.
Historical note: Tantrism began about the fifth cen-
tury as a new and curious cult associated with fertility
rites and worship of female deities. It became more wide-
spread from the eighth century onwards. It was strongest
in north east India, having close ties with Tibet, some of
its ritual doubtless coming from Tibetan practices.
Emphasis on the female energy of Shakti and mother
goddess cults suggest that Tantrism was rooted in pre-
Aryan culture, which is quite possible considering that
it originated in non-Aryan parts. It claimed to be a
simplification of vedic cults, and was anti-orthodox in
that it was open to all castes as well as to women.
Apparently Tantra not only opposed the rigours of Bra-
hmanism, but also the strict puritanism of Buddhism.
It originated in a conscious and deliberate opposition
to orthodox Hindu ritual and the 'caste-iron' Brah-
manical ordering of society. It reacted by indulging in
forbidden practices such as drinking wine and eating
meat. Also, as women were permitted within the sect,
there was ritual fornication among castes, otherwise for-
bidden by the draconic Laws of Manu. The cult being
what it was, secret meetings became necessary and the
sect was denounced by orthodox Hindus and Buddhists
for depravity.
Note on Tantric Art: There is little or no reference to
Tantric Art by any of the well-known authorities on
Indian Art. Coomaraswany, Stella Kramrisch, Vincent
Smith, Herman Goetz, E. W. Hevel and W. G. Archer do
not mention it at all. The Pelican History of Art men-
tions Tantra about five times briefly, but erroneously
classifies it with Kali a harridan goddess of skulls and
death. Whereas the expression of Tantric Art is that of
life on the level of creation, cosmic and sexual which is
rendered as a mystical concept executed in figurative and
* Tantra Art by Ajit Mookerjee, 160 pages, 58 colour plates,
36 illustrations in monochrome, published by Ravi Kumar,
42 avenue du President-Kennedy, Paris 16e, £11 5s
Koti-Chakra, symbol of sound
Above
Painting on cloth, 1769
Rajasthan