Krishna and the Gopis

Artist

Indian, Bihar Province (Indian)

Date

1970s-80s

Medium

Ink, pigment on paper

Dimensions

- : 29 1/8 x 21 3/8 in. (73.98 x 54.29 cm)
Frame : 32 3/4 x 24 7/8 in. (83.19 x 63.18 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of David Kamansky and Gerald Wheaton

Object Number

2014.23.229

Label

An avatar of Vishnu, Krishna is a major divinity in the Hindu religion. Gopis are female cowherds whose pure, unconditional love for Krishna is described in many Hindu legends. This painting depicts a story in which the blue-skinned Krishna plays his flute and dances with the gopis of Vrindavan. The painting belongs to a modern folk art tradition from the state of Bihar in northeastern India. For centuries, women of the Mithila region in Bihar painted sacred images and symbols on the walls of their houses to mark major festival days and life events such as births, weddings and deaths. These paintings were discovered by foreign art critics in the middle of the 20 th century and have since become widely admired for their stylized forms and bold color schemes.