“My canvas represents a projection of Shunya, the Void, which is incalculable in time and dimension, Anadi and Ananta (without beginning to end). The surrounding dark oceans in terms of which you describe the borders of my canvas are the ever unfathomable, unreachable of the fundamental unfathomable, infinite aspects of the fundamental creative force which lies beyond the pale of wisdom, thought and imagination.”
“The canvas itself, therefore, is symbolic as it portrays the omnipresence of infinite in the finite. But space cannot be defined without a minimum of three directions or three lines which formulate a triangle, which is Mula Trikona. The initial nature of all pervading creative force is Shabda Brahma, primordial sound which is ever and ceaselessly vibrant.” GHULAM RASOOL SANTOSH (1929-1997) | PAINTINGS THE KASHMIRI SHAIVITE
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Background
Sufism and Kashmir Shaivism held a strong fascination for Ghulam Rasool Dar (1929-), even though he was raised a Shia Muslim in Srinagar, India. His father served in law enforcement; his grandfather was a Kashmiri artisan known for papier maché artwork. He married his childhood sweetheart in the early 50s, a Kashmiri Pandit woman, and took her last name, Santosh. He received a scholarship in 1954 to study fine arts under Narayan Shridhar Bendre at Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda’s Faculty of Arts. Santosh initially concentrated on Post Impressionism and Western artistic styles like Cubism, creating semi-abstract landscapes. However, during a pilgrimage to the Amarnath caves in the Kashmir Himalayas in 1964, he had a mystical experience that led him to explore the philosophies of Abhinavagupta and Ajit Mookerjee’s book -Tantra Art: Its Philosophy and Physics. This experience marked the beginning of Santosh’s significant contribution to early Neo-Tantric art. His art is based on yantra forms, which are geometric designs that embody internal visualizations related to the mysteries of nature. Santosh’s mystical reflections found expression in both his paintings and his poetry. Using the Rekha style of yantra drawing, Santosh’s art illustrates the order and discipline inherent in yoga poses. Mookerjee explains the process in his book, through which the forces of the yantra come together in this Rekha practice. “Its corners and angles fix the number and order of the nuclear syllables which it contains hidden within. It is thus a key to the unfolding of the visionary images. Rekha is the guiding principle for all ritual achievements- As prescribed, it underlies the formal disciplines of geometry, astronomy, temple architecture, and even of ritual dance and music.”
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In the extended Premium edition more on the erotic interplay of masculine and feminine energies in Santosh's art, the elements symbolizing desire, creation, and transcendence, Tantra’s deep sensuality awakening hidden energy and contemplation, surreal, evocative shapes creating intimate mental imagery and an illuminating poem by the Indian painter
Click HERE for an article on the tantric concepts and ceremonial sex
