Almost There

Description

Inspired by the traditions of Indian and particularly Buddhist painting, Manjunath Kamath here depicts a whorl of fire with its center hollowed out. A closer look reveals
fragments of deities, flailing horse hooves and hindquarters, clouds, and sections of a Buddhist mandala. The hollowed center refers both to the concept of emptiness (shunyata), an important strand of Indian philosophical thought, and at the same time to the golden womb (hiranyagarbha)—the beginning of the universe and infinity itself.

Almost There

B. M. Kamath

2016

Accession Number

237874

Medium

Gouache on silk

Dimensions

213.4 × 213.4 cm (84 × 84 in.)

Classification

painting

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by the Friends of Indian and Islamic Art of The Art Institute of Chicago