Why Is Guru Sahib Depicted This Way In This Painting?

[Vahejeo]

Bundha you are exactly right. The cartoonish/over exaggeration aspect of this painting is what bothered me. It is doing disrespect to Guru Sahib.

[dalsingh101]

So bad taste should be banned?

I know what you mean but I doubt that is at all practical. What will we do, ban artists from painting? That is pure Taliban Wahhabi style.

To put things in perspective, here is an image of dasmesh pita, the equivalent of a modern day calender print from the late 1800s/early 1900s. As you will see, it is pretty lame in terms of artistic ability.

I think artists should generally be encouraged and supported as well as critiqued. This would enable them to improve their works. Talent needs to be fostered and developed, some of the best artists in the world drew really crap looking pictures early on.

[KhalsaJee]

hahaha you guys are so funny its only a painting and even more funny is, do you guys really think its guru gobind singh? i thought don't promote paintings?

[Bundha]

Dalsignh101, I would say the picture above is perfectly acceptable, it is quaint and almost innocent in a way and painted in a traitional style which gives it appeal.

The offending painting is deliberately painted in a provocative way, maybe the painter was trying for bir-ras but no way is that bir-ras. Just my opinion but I find it disrepects Guru Ji. <_<

The panj chore crawl under Guru Ji's pavitar charan so Guru Ji would never get angry. When Guru Ji had sacrificed his four sahibsadhay, sacrificed his mother (ji) and had to leave Anandpur Sahib was Guru Ji in low mood? Was Guru Ji angry at Aurangzeb, no way. Just read Zafarnama and see in what buoyant mood Guru Ji was. Guru Ji admonishes evil aurangzeb but still Guru Ji is in a splended positive mood.

[dalsingh101]

The offending painting is deliberately painted in a provocative way, maybe the painter was trying for bir-ras but no way is that bir-ras. Just my opinion but I find it disrepects Guru Ji.

I wouldn't go that far. Certainly I think it is a work that is not executed well. The physical representation resembles a angry pendu from one of those cheap 1980s Panjabi movies. If that facial representation was simply made to be a picture of a fired up Panjabi man, it would probably be okay but our love for our Gurus expects something special. But there is another angle on all this too. We simply don't know how our beloved Guru ji looked. So in a way any artist is simply manifesting his own projection into such religiously themed art. Sobha Singh did raise the bar though and artists should aim for that standard or above. But even his work is not above critique and he is primarily responsible for reimagining nauvay Guru ji as a shaat raas type, when most older representations depicted a more military, regal image.

I hope and pray that the artist (who created the piece being discussed) reflects on his/her finished work and learns to improve their skills. I bet you they have a few works and we would really like some of these and not others. I would like to see more from the artist myself. I mean I found that image of Guru Nanak Mardana on the same page to be quite exquisite myself. I wonder if the same artist did them?

I may be wrong but I have a feeling he/she was going for dasmesh pita full of bir raas in a battle but didn't quite pull it off. Maybe this is what they have to go through to get enough experience and practice to create a really stunning masterpiece that will move all of us in future?

Let's not go down the angry banning route without compelling reasons, to many people already confuse us with the Taliban as it is! lol

I think this issue boils down to aesthetic taste. I find a lot of early Sikh imagery quite puerile/simplistic and garish compared to what was being produced elsewhere in the globe at the same time (especially in the Italian renaissance) but art is something that changes so much over time and although we should have high expectations we shouldn't stifle developing talent.

But do constructively critique away to your hearts content. Hopefully the artists will learn from this! I know a few artists and they are very sensitive types, so try not to make them cry..........

lol

[foolish]

that picture is absolutely rubbish, almost to the extent that i think the artist is taking the pis .surely the artist would look at their work and think would my father be happy with this depiction. as another post said the panch chor are below my fathers feet and looking at again and again is making me angry! i know its a only a picture and we dont wanna go the muslim way and ban pictures or the hindu way of doing puja/whatever. but pictures done in the right way inspire and remind us

just my 2 cents worth

[dalsingh101]

but pictures done in the right way inspire and remind us

And pictures not done well can serve to show other artists exactly how not to do them?

We have issues of large amounts of our people being killed post 1984. We have the issue of a drug infested homeland with mass female infanticide taking place. Sikh political strength and voice is being squashed.

If in all of this some of you people chose to direct your anger and resources into combating the 'dire threat' that talentless artists pose to the quom, then sorry but in my opinion, you have seriously got your priorities twisted.

[whyhellothere]

I used to get upset when Guru Nanak Dev Ji's Picture looked different to the one picture I thought he actually looked like in my house. When I progressed in my Sikhi (a path to god) they all began to look like the Guru Ji I know and even smiled at me, they still do to this day, the photos change to show truth.

Remember this is maya, everything is an illusion except the truth which will show itself to one with faith and love. You can draw a stick figure of Guru Ji and still him in a true light.

[Singhballer]

My Dad had that painting painted.. its the same one from the Jalandhar railway station.

[VanHelsingh]

Imagine if moments in Sikh history had been painted by the Renaissance masters? Those paintings would be a sight to behold.