Transfixed at the mere Thought of her: Eight States of the Hero

Indian texts on poetry and drama describe the feelings and emotions lovers experience, often listing eight states of the body and mind, which Bhanudatta describes in his poem ‘Rasmanjari’. The Rasmanjari series is a set of paintings based on Bhanudatta’s 15th century Sanskrit poetry of the same name. The artist considered the Master of the Early Rasmanjari series is Kripal of Nurpur, who is speculated to be the father of the artist Devidasa of Nurpur. In the artwork ‘Transfixed at the mere Thought of her: Eight States of the Hero’ (22.8 cm x 32.5 cm), attributed to Kripal, Krishna is depicted in a complete state of transfixed adoration, representing the last state, ‘pralaya’ or immense mental absorption about his lover. He clasps a lotus in his right hand, his gaze distant in the solitude of a pavilion, his mind occupied by thoughts of his lover. The delicacy of the lines, intricate detailing in the jewellery, architecture, and textiles creates a fragile tension within the painting, as if this state of intense mental absorption would be broken by anything other than the subject of his thoughts. The artwork features the characteristics of Basohli painting – vibrant and bold reds, oranges and yellows, giving it a vibrant almost luminous quality. The vibrancy of the colours mirrors his passion. The exact information about the medium of the painting cannot be credibly sourced; however, cross-referencing another painting – ‘A Nayika and Her Lover’, which has also been attributed to Kripal, one can assume that he also utilised watercolour, gold, and beetle-wing cases on paper to create ‘Transfixed at the mere Thought of her’. Kripal depicted passion tinged with anticipation and pain, combing abstract emotion with concrete recreations, influencing a coming generation of artists that would flourish under Raja Kripal.