How mini can miniature art be with Srijan Jha

“One man is equivalent to all Creation. One man is a World in miniature.” ~ Albert Pike. Even in Indian spirituality, these words are commonly used and understood that the macrocosm is the reflection of our body which is the microcosm. Today we have a guest who deals with really intricate artwork which need a lot of focus, attention and precision. We are talking about miniature art. Srijan Jha joins us on Audiogyan. Srijan is a miniature artist, traveller, writers, storyteller and also engages in heritage restoration. He is from Bhopal and we’ll be talking all about miniature art.

Questions

1. What’s you definition of patience and art? How do you see them both in the kind of art you produce?
2. What’s miniature art? Why was it called limning? Can you share any brief history of it’s origin and travel? Why was it done, when was it first thought of etc…? Where do you see it in India?
3. Can you give us a peek into the mythology and folklore associated with this art form?
4. I started of with the microcosm and macrocosm. It seems like in miniature art you try fit in the universe. What excites you about this form? What’s so special about Miniature art? Why do people predominantly draw portraits? Even your work is mostly portraits? What is the creative satisfaction in doing it?
5. How mini can a miniature painting be? What are typically the subjects? How important is the subject? What surfaces are suitable for this form of art?
6. With digital age and technology, what are the new challenges for miniature artists (at least in your kind of work). Can artists zoom 20x and achieve the desired output? What is the future of miniature art?

Reference reading

1. https://www.instagram.com/jaadugarbysrijan/?hl=en
2. https://www.facebook.com/studiojaadugar
3. https://twitter.com/srijanjha8
4. https://www.artofwildlife.com/miniature_art_history.html
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_art
6. https://uncoverimages.com/2016/05/18/review-the-history-of-miniature-painting-in-my-name-is-red/