Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v1.c4.21

v1.c4.21

Here one may see in perfection the designing instinct of Ajanta’s art. The form of the Bodhisattva stands out from the living background yet remains in the warm pervasive atmosphere of the whole scene. There seems to be no deliberation in the disposition of the elements of the design; it is as if all were there by nature; the strong red square as of pillars and cross-pieces, which are said to be a convention for the ridges of hills, contrasts with the just-inclined form of the Bodhisattva, attended by his consort on one side and a vigilant guard on the other, and with the background of mingling curves and jutting angles, where the eye, losing itself at first, discovers by degrees one form and one detail after another; here it is the gleam of flesh where a woman leans among foliage on her lover’s shoulder, and a peacock is crying beside his mate, and, more obscure, a monkey plays intently. There, shapes of supernatural beings begin to appear, some floating through the air, others playing music on instruments; the relaxed posture of a woman reclining in her lover’s arms takes the eye among more shadowy forms. Human and divine are mingled; it is as if all were rooted in the rich soil of life; and contemplating the fresco one has something like the feeling produced by gazing into an intricate depth of flowering foliage, leaf behind leaf and bough behind bough, when, lingering till the fall of the dusk, one may see the colours of the blooms retire into themselves, yet still burn unequally with a kind of secret glow.