Saint Tyagaraja Singing Hymns in Praise of Lord Rama

1952–55

Not on view

Music, painting, and devotion coalesce in this portrait of the Sri Vaishnava composer-poet Tyagaraja. Born in 1767 into a Brahmin Telugu family at Thiruvaiyaru, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, he chose to remain in his village all his life, despite invitations to be celebrated at the Maratha court at Thanjavur. He is famed for a large corpus of devotional songs in praise of Lord Rama, many of which are still performed today. Here Tyagaraja holds a Thanjavur-style tambura; the model, from Srimati’s musical instrument collection, is exhibited nearby. Tyagaraja’s devotion radiates from this study, in which he is shown singing a hymn in praise of Rama, who appears, accompanied by Sita, Laksmana, and Hanuman, in the temple interior. Above, at left, hovers Narada, the divinity of creativity and inventor of the vina. This is devotional painting at its purest.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Saint Tyagaraja Singing Hymns in Praise of Lord Rama
Artist: Y. G. Srimati (Indian, 1926–2007)
Date: 1952–55
Culture: India (Chennai)
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Dimensions: Image: 30 in. × 22 1/2 in. (76.2 × 57.2 cm)
Mat: 40 × 30 in. (101.6 × 76.2 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Purchase, Brooke Russell Astor Bequest, 2016
Object Number: 2016.800
Rights and Reproduction: © 2016 M. Pellettieri
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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Mahakali, Y. G. Srimati Indian, Watercolor on paper, India — Mahakali
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