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ACHARYA VYAKUL was born in Jaipur, India in 1930. As a child he was a compulsive scribbler and graffitist, much to the annoyance of his family who tried in vain to contain this gushing creativity. (Vyakul literally means В“the restless oneВ”.) An early memory is of seeing his grandmother at the time of the serpent festival sticking her finger-tips in soot and producing a spontaneous image of five writhing snakes on the whitewashed wall. This act was to make an indelible impression. What charged him most was the invocation of such strong magic through imagery and executed with total faith in its power. He soon contained his creative urge and poured images he observed in temples and impromptu shrines onto found pieces of card and paper. These resembled in scale to Yantras1 sold by the pundits in the temple, prescription sized these rough geometric configurations act like a visual Mantra2 which would soothe and banish worry from the believer. This functionality is a very important element and is a central feature of VyakulВ’s painting. The art of Vyakul can only be really appreciated with an understanding of Tantra and symbolism associated with Hinduism. Essentially VyakulВ’s work is deeply rooted in the traditional ritual art of India: the wayside shrines, trees and stones with daubed signs and emblems in white or red. A knowledge of VyakulВ’s working procedures are crucial in placing his work outside the conventional scope of the orthodox artist. Vyakul does not paint in a studio nor does he paint everyday, perhaps only twice a year and then in a concentrated spell for two or three weeks. He makes the paintings wherever he might be, in his house, on a walk, in a temple or in a garden. Often using materials close to hand, paper from ancient manuscripts, cloth or waste card are painted with pigment ground from anything that will give its color: cow dung, leaves, coffee, vermilion or coal; it isnВ’t unusual to find lipstick or felt-tip pens either. It is really the imagery so ingrained in the material object that is so durable and potent, acting as tools which will help the seeker on the path to awareness. (1) Yantra: A Yantra is a pure geometric configuration without any iconographic representaion. Yantras are constructed wholly as an aid to meditation. One can think of them as a В“visualВ” Mantra. (2) Mantra: A Mantra is a continuous pattern of words or sounds uttered during meditation, either silently or audibly. |
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