HYDERABAD: In this weekly section, we look at various elements drawn from the history and heritage of Hyderabad, the city’s interconnections with other places, historical events, art and artefacts that hold imprints of the past
Delving into a unique and interesting genre of art, this week, we take a look at composite figures that combine elements of different individuals or objects into a single, unified form. These figures can carry various symbolic meanings depending on the context and the artist’s intent.
Composite painting and sculpture have been an integral part of Indian and Persian art. For example, The Yali or vyala– mythical animals in Hinduism, incorporate elements from a lion’s body, the trunk or tusk of an elephant, or parts of a horse. Yali images are found sculpted on the entrance walls of the temples, as the mythical lion is believed to protect and guard the temples. Composite animals are found in the seals from the Indus Valley regions too.
Taking a look at this painting from Bijapur, Deccan, (courtesy: Salar Jung Museum), we see the outline of a horse encompassing various other animals and a horned demon holding the horse with a snake as the rein. Flowers and plants are depicted in the foreground. Two flame-shaped wings rise from the neck of the horse. Composite-ness here lies not just in the depiction of many animals fused into one, but also in the fusion of humans, animals and supernatural elements such as the angels and the demons.
Anjani Reddy, senior artist and visiting faculty at JNUFAU said, “Indian miniature artists in those days created composite figurative works inside the body of their main subject, mostly to depict a certain additional character to an animal or human. For example, an elephant carrying the king on a hunting or a pleasure trip. The artist wanted to express the sensuality of the situation. It was also to show the opulence of the royals. Composite painting is practised in contemporary art even today.”
Gauging the exact idea of the artist is difficult but one can observe that there is no single idea in the painting. By combining diverse components into a single entity, artists may convey a message of harmony, cooperation, or the integration of various aspects of life.
This approach allows artists to explore and depict the intricate layers of identity, emotions, or societal dynamics. In mythological or surreal art, composite figures can be employed to depict fantastical beings or creatures that transcend conventional boundaries. This allows for the exploration of imaginative and symbolic realms.
The Salar Jung Museum has an interesting collection of mythical creature depictions and composite animal paintings of India. There are lacquered wooden yalis from the late Vijayanagara period and wooden carved yalis from the 19th and 20th centuries.