Customer Reviews

Form of Beauty : The Krishna Art of B.G. Sharma (Art of Devotion Series Art of Devotion Series)

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I have recently purchased this book and I continue to carefully turn its pages and soak in the vivid and detailed work of B.G. Sharma's depiction of the story of Krishna. This is a book for anyone who loves the stories of Krishna whether the reasons are devotional or mythological. It is also for anyone who appreciates the traditional Hindu paintings that have long illustrated the ancient sacred Hindu writings. However, besides the life, color, and detail Sharma's brush gives these stories and characters, there is quality in the work that enlivens these intriguing and ancient episodes in the life of the blue god and draws me even deeper into them. No one captures the boyish charm of young Krishna or the love between Krishna and Radha like Sharma. For those who are not familiar with the stories, there is enough text to give meaning but the heart of this book is in the paintings.

This book is page after page of the most glorious paintings. It may be small in size but it is not small in quality. Anyone that is interested in India's devotional paintings or just in fine art would enjoy this little treasure. It left me wanting more; wanting to see more art of this kind and caliber and wanting to read the stories the artist was illustrating. I can't recommend it highly enough. It is a real bargain.

Words don't do the artist justice here, though the lovely sacred verses and captions by Swami Tripurari frame the art work in its proper religious context. Simply stated, it must be seen. It's rare indeed to discover an artist or writer who helps you understand the glory of God and his miraculous gifts. This is one such example. A consummate masterpiece.

The art of BG Sharma is breathtaking. This is a very beautiful coffee-table sized hardback book. I got the small softbound version first, but found it difficult to fully appreciate the art that way.

I came to B.G Sharma from having seen his work on CD covers of spiritual music. I somehow expected a book with a plethora of images of similar quality to those I knew. This book contains Sharma images from many periods of his long, productive life in very different styles and at varying levels of ambition and accomplishment. They do not quite read as a consistent set of works by "western" standards. Some are poignantly naturalistic, others more basic and cartoon-like. The text is earnestly introductory and colored by English not being the primary language. The miniatures on Ivory (the ones that I originally saw on CD's which drew me to the book) are breathtaking treasures. That the reproductions are so clear and lavishly pigmented is a joy. I think potential web-shoppers need to know, however, that the title of "Krishna Art" is both literal and accurate. Given that the images cannot be previewed, they also need to know that the book is largely not about presenting more painting of the style. theme and quality of what is on the cover.

In true sense this is a wonderful addition to my acqisitions. It is no doubt in my mind that it will become a collector's item over years. More over Amazon price was unbelievably low. Go for it if you can still buy it!
Santosh

This is a beautifully detailed book honoring the work by B.G.Sharma. The color of the plates are gorgeous. It needed to be in a coffee table size. Don't bother to buy the small softcover. It doesn't do the artwork justice.

this book is only 4 inches by 4 inches hence the small price. not usable for a reference book.