Guru Nanak Ji
Details
Artform
Sikh Miniature
Artist
Gurpreet Singh Mankoo
Dimensions
11.7 x 16.5 In.
Medium
Gouache on Acid-Free Paper
Framing
Unframed
Learn More
The Painting
This Sikh miniature painting, hand-painted by Gurpreet Singh Mankoo, depicts Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. Guru Nanak is seated under an auspicious tree in an open ground beside a lotus pond, with a parrot perched on top of the branch. He is shown in his familiar aspect and stance of an aged spiritual teacher- full gray beard, saintly expression, wearing a typical headgear. His spiritual status is marked by a golden nimbus and rosary in his right hand. The blue in the background gives a feeling of the eternal sky, while the lotus pond composition in front of him gives a sense of rhythm. The artist has used gouache colors, an opaque watercolor medium, on acid-free paper.
The Artform
Sikh Miniature is a Punjabi painting tradition that rose to popularity in the 18th century when Sikh rulers began to commission Pahari artists to paint Sikh subjects and history. At that time sikh empire was part of the Punjab hills. The artists coming from this region were called Pahari artists who were trained under the Mughal and Rajput styles of miniature paintings. Along with the expansion of Mohrakashi art, the Sikh school of art was heavily dominated by floral and foliage imagery which was influenced by the Kangra school of painting. The artist would create intricate works using natural pigments on Wasli. The subject of these paintings would depict scenes from Sikh history, the lives of revered Gurus, and later, contemporary issues which affected the lives of the Sikh population.
The Artist
Born in 1975, in the village Jagraon in Punjab, Gurpreet Singh Mankoo comes from a humble Sikh family which subsequently inspired him to paint religious themes in realist art form. At a young age, he trained and subsequently became an apprentice to Sardar Dilbagh Singh, a realistic painter from Ludhiana. Gurpreet Mankoo gained recognition for his realist style of portraiture which led to him opening a family-led ‘Mankoo Art Gallery’ at his residence, so as to facilitate the demand for his works. He ventured into the new medium and technique of Mohrakashi in 2013 when he began working on the restoration and conservation of Mohrakashi at Shri Darbar Sahib, which was organized by Namita Jaspal, a Conservator and Consultant from Chandigarh. This led him in 2015 to take up restoration of the figurative motifs on the interior walls of the Krishan Mandir, a UNESCO World Heritage Site near Gurdaspur. He has exhibited his works at the 83rd ‘All India Exhibition of Arts’, Indian Academy of Fine Arts, Amritsar, the ‘Fourth International Art Exhibition’, India-Netherlands, ‘WTC Hague Art Gallery’, Netherlands, ‘National Miniature Camp’, ‘Lalit Kala Akademi Art Galleries’ of Rabindra Bhawan, New Delhi. Currently, he is engaged in miniature artwork based on mythological themes in Kangra and Dakshini styles and in ‘Das Gurus’ (‘ten gurus’) in the Dakshini style of miniatures in Bengaluru.
Provenance
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Customizations
Want a unique artwork for that wall at home- one that resonates entirely with you? Please use the WhatsApp chat below or email us at aakanksha@bridgebharat.com to discuss your requirements with our team.
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Shipping and Delivery
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Other details
The price you see is for an unframed painting. If you want us to custom frame the artwork, please drop us a message. We highly encourage this, framing is an art by itself :) The artwork you will receive is as close to the original artwork as possible but as with all things handmade, there may be minute differences in color and motifs, truly rendering each artwork one of a kind. Trust the process!