Friday, October 4, 2013

Teaching Dhamma by Pictures...Siamese Traditional Buddhist Manuscript ...Ven. Buddhadasa Bhikkhu



from the book “Teaching Dhamma by Pictures”
Explanation of a Siamese Traditional Buddhist Manuscript
by Ven. Buddhadasa Bhikkhu

Published by 
Sathirakoses-Nagaparadi Foundation & Ministry of Education, Thailand
On the occassion of the Centenary Celebration of the Bith of the Ven. Buddhadasa Bhikku


The illustrated manuscript reproduced here was, in the original, a traditional Thai 
manuscript called Samut Khoi which is a long roll of paper folded concertina-wise into 
leaves and then written on both sides. In this form, the illustration was presented first, 
followed by a few lines of explanation on a particular aspect of Dhamma such as 
Meditation and so forth. Cambodian script was used in those days for all religious work 
thought the language is Siamese. 
The pigments used were produced locally, most of them derived from native trees. 
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John Bingley Garland...Victorian Blood Book... Sept 1854



Assembled from several hundred engravings, many taken from books of etchings by William Blake, as well as other illustrations from early nineteenth-century books. The principal motifs are natural (birds, animals, and especially snakes) and Christian (images of the crucifixion, scenes from the Bible, and crusaders). Drops of red india ink and extensive religious commentary have been added to many of the images.

inscribed "To Amy Lester Garland--A legacy left in his lifetime for her future examination by her affectionate father" September 1st 1854



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Saturday, August 24, 2013

Cécile Reims ... burin and dry-point prints




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Cécile Reims ~ Metamorphoses ~ 1957-1958 



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Cécile Reims ~ Metamorphoses ~ 1957-1958 



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Ephemeral being ~ 2003


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Sacred liquor - 2003-2004 




Thursday, August 15, 2013

Bocio sculptures...Benin & UK... Unknown & Charlotte Rodgers




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Bocio sculpture Benin



bocio; the word means "empowered (bo) cadaver (cio)" in the Fon language of Benin.


The most common and prototypical of the bacio genre, are bla-bocio whose surfaces have been bound tightly with cord, cloth, fur, chains, vines or other wrapping materials.The tieing and knotting of cords or other materials around a bocio serve to activate its power and bind other potent additive matter to the work.

The materials chosen to bind a sculpture vary; the most frequently employed are cotton thread, twisted feathers or plant parts, and strips of animal hide.
The placement of the bondage - usually on the stomach, chest arms or head - affects the meaning of the sculpture, since each body part is considered as the seat of different emotional concerns






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Charlotte Rodgers 2013  ~  'I Did Not Die Easy'. A baited badger which I found wrapped in a black plastic bag, and thrown onto the side of a motorway bypass. Its life,spirit and death were acknowledged, and its cry was sealed with nettle cord knotted around the jaw.Nothing is disposable.


more sculptures by Charlotte Rodgers HERE & HERE



Saturday, August 3, 2013

Lucas Cranach the Elder...Freiberger Monk Calf... woodcut...c1523





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Monstra fabulosa...the "Monster of Florence"...c1506




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Myths of Hindus and Buddhists...illustrations... 1913



Book illustration from ''Myths of Hindus and Buddhists'' by Ananda K Coomearaswamy and Sister Nivedita, 1913


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Garuda by Nandalal Bose


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Dhruva by Asit Kumar Haldar
Dhruva, a young devotee of Vishnu, was blessed with eternal existence and glory as the Pole Star.


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Pururavas by Khitindra Nath Mazumdar
Pururavas was the first king of the Aila dynasty and a mythological entity associated with the sun and the dawn. 


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The asceticism of Uma by Nandalal Bose



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Kaliya Damana by Khitindra Nath Mazumdar

more HERE