Evoking Rasa in Luminous Visions: Indian Art from the Herwitz Collection

Thota Vaikuntam, Bust of a Woman, graphite underdrawing with ink wash and watercolor on laminated paperboard, Gift from the Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection, 2002.513.

Through July 17, 2005

Prints and paintings from the Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection at the Worcester Art Museum exemplify how prominent artists of post-Independence India convey inspiring moods and emotions (rasa) characteristic of Indian aesthetics. Using a variety of media, artists including Maqbool Fida Husain, K. Laxma Goud, and Thota Vaikuntam explore themes such as the cyclical nature of existence, the nature of man and woman, and the role of the divine in contemporary society. In some works, the interrelationship between subject, space, and color are paramount, while in others it is the notion of mysticism and the lyrical. While aware of international art movements, the artists also acknowledge their traditional literary and visual heritage.

Founders of Davey's, a fashion accessories company in Worcester, Massachusetts, Chester and Davida Herwitz began collecting modern Indian art in the 1960s and amassed a large collection of paintings, prints, and jewelry by established and emerging artists and craftsmen.

Sponsored by Fallon Clinic.

Select Images from the Exhibtion