Basavana: The Artist of Unique Excellence

In the sprawling painting atelier of the Mughal emperor Akbar between 1560 and 1605, no one enjoyed more prestige and position than the Indian artist Basavana. Akbar’s biographer Abu’l Fazl (1551–1602) wrote eulogistically during, “In designing, coloring, portrait painting and other aspects of this art Basavana has come to be uniquely excellent.”

In this lavishly illustrated presentation the speaker will examine the oeuvre of this great painter to identify the qualities of uniqueness and excellence that contributed to the very establishment of the imperial Mughal painting style.

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Asok Kumar Das, Ph.D. is Director Emeritus of the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum, Jaipur and former Deputy Keeper at the Indian Museum Kolkata. He has published widely on aspects of imperial Mughal painting, including Paintings of the Razmnama, the Book of War (2005), Wonders of Nature: Ustad Mansur at the Mughal Court (2012), and Miniature Tradition of India (2014). Currently he is a Scholar-in-Residence, Jnana Pravaha, Varanasi.

This lecture is made possible by the Dr. Ranajit K. Datta in Memory of Kiran P. and S.C. Datta Endowment Fund.