Panel Art Print – The Ramayana in Four Verses

Provenance

This set of four panel art prints pairs lines of Sanskrit verse from the 'Ramayana' with a single illustrated image drawn from the moment each verse describes. On every panel, the verse is repeated in rows of Devanagari script across a field of solid colour, forming a softly patterned ground in the manner of a manuscript page or a chanted refrain, while the painted figure sits above it in full colour. Hung side by side, the four panels read like a condensed telling of the epic: an act of sacrifice, the building of a bridge, a homecoming and the celebration that follows it, each set in its own mood and colour.

The first panel, in deep crimson, shows a 'vanara' in mid-leap with a great rock lifted above his head, his scarf streaming behind him and grasses rising at the base, carrying stone for the 'Ram Setu', the bridge the vanara army built across the sea to Lanka; its verse names the southern direction and the vanaras led by 'Angada' who set out in search of 'Sita'. The second, in pale blue scattered with pink petals, shows 'Rama' enthroned beneath a golden parasol, one hand raised, with 'Sita' seated beside him holding a lotus, 'Lakshmana' standing with joined hands and bow, and 'Hanuman' kneeling at his feet; its verse speaks of seeing the king return to Ayodhya at last. The third, in dark earth brown, shows the great bird 'Jatayu' with wings spread and one wing wounded and bleeding, rocks and dry shrubs below; its verse names him as the heroic bird, brother of 'Sampati', whose wing was cut. The fourth, in golden olive, holds a single orange marigold on a curving stem beneath drifting clouds; its verse calls for banners to be raised in the streets of the finest of cities and for houses to be adorned at the rising of the sun. Together they move from struggle and loss to reunion and festivity, the arc that Diwali itself remembers.

Each panel is built on a single saturated ground, crimson, duck-egg blue, earth brown or olive gold, against which the tonal rows of script recede and the detailed figures stand forward. The figures themselves are rendered with fine gold outlines, patterned textiles and jewellery in the manner of traditional Indian painting, while the flat colour fields and repeated text give the set a clean, contemporary graphic structure. The texture of paint and paper visible in the figures belongs to the original digital artwork; the Brahm piece is a digital art print that reproduces it on a smooth surface.

Disclaimer:

• The frames shown are for display purposes only and are not included with the artwork.
• As these are made-to-order designer pieces, expect minor colour variations from the displayed artwork.

The Four Panels

• The Building of Ram Setu: Crimson ground. A 'vanara' carries a great rock to build the bridge to Lanka; the verse recalls the southern direction and the vanaras led by 'Angada' on their search for 'Sita'.
• The Return to Ayodhya: Pale blue ground with falling petals. 'Rama' enthroned with 'Sita', 'Lakshmana' and 'Hanuman'; the verse rejoices at seeing the king return to Ayodhya.
• Jatayu's Sacrifice: Earth-brown ground. The great bird 'Jatayu', wing wounded; the verse names the heroic bird, brother of 'Sampati', whose wing was cut.
• The City Adorned: Olive-gold ground with drifting clouds. A single marigold; the verse calls for banners in the streets and houses adorned at sunrise.