A Guide to Image-making Inspired by the Vishnu Dharmottara

  • Krishna Shanthi
A book that explores a guide to image-making inspired by the Vishnu Dharmottara. Vishnu Dharmottara is a quintessential document from 6th century India and it’s third part gives the fullest account to date of the various methods and ideals of Indian painting and image-making. It deals not only with the religious aspect, but also, and to a far greater extent, with its secular employment. The text argues for abstract and realistic representation, artistic inspiration and the image’s essence. I employed these three rules to make images of the described gods and goddesses for my visual interpretation. Though the West is widely credited as the originator of the abstract art, India at early as the 6th century, promoted this sense of abstraction in representation. This project explores my deep interest of graphic design as a tool for reinterpreting cultural representation.