![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.artoronto.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/rsz_li_118_93-a.jpg\" "\\"rsz_li_118_93-a\\"")
<\/a>Durbar of Akbar Shah II, Delhi, India, 1820\u201330, opaque watercolour and gold on paper. The collection of Howard Hodgkin \u00a9 Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford<\/p>\nIn Visions of Mughal India: The Collection of Howard Hodgkin<\/em>, works are organized thematically to underscore the various components of Indo-Persian society, culture, and religion. A series of royal portraits, such as the above painting of Jodhpur\u2019s Maharaja Bakhat Singh, highlight the preeminence of such rulers of the time. Here, the Maharaja\u2014 a Hindi term translating into Great King\u2014 is portrayed in the classic profile position while his garments and surroundings boast of rich hues, gold embellishment, and floral motifs. Such elaborate decoration is characteristic of Mughal art, appearing throughout much of Hodgkin\u2019s collection.<\/p>\n A string of action-packed paintings from the Rajasthani court illustrate riveting epics and myths set in lush palace gardens. Intricately designed, these works of art encourage the viewer to bury his or herself into the historic narrative each painting offers. A sequence of portraits depicting elephants in violent combat (a sort of pastime for the Mughals), small yet impactful paintings of flora and fauna native to the land, and works which explore the cultural and spiritual implications of music, account for some of the other themes the exhibition explores.<\/p>\n There is something truly remarkable about experiencing Hodgkin\u2019s collection in this particular gallery space. Perhaps it is the way in which the sun\u2019s rays stream through the museum\u2019s hexagonal skylights, or the dim echoes of Persian poetry which resonate from the permanent collection below. The exhibition exudes certain je ne sais quoi, inexplicable even for Hodgkin, \u201cIn Indian painting I have found much that for me could be found nowhere else, but I cannot tell you what\u2014I can only metaphorically wave my arms at the pictures\u2014and say \u2018look!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Standout doorways brilliantly painted to resemble the traditional Mughal arch invite visitors into an adjoining gallery space. Inspired by India: Paintings by Howard Hodgkin<\/em> features eight contemporary works which highlight the artist\u2019s some fifty year communion with India\u2019s diverse geography. His enticing works serve as abstract interpretations of land, sea, and the changing of seasons.<\/p>\n Hodgkin\u2019s works are spirited, characterized by invigorating colour applied wildly to the support. Despite their rather modest scale the paintings are unruly, showing an utter disregard for the confines of the frame. His 2014 oil painting entitled \u2018Indian Summer\u2019 demonstrates Hodgkin\u2019s boundless passion for a land that is so dear to him.<\/p>\n<\/a>Maharaja Bakhat Singh of Nagaur, Jodhpur,Rajasthan, India,ca.1735, opaque watercolour and gold on paper. The collection of Howard Hodgkin \u00a9 Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford<\/p>\n<\/a>Maharaja Raj Singh and His Elephants, Sawar, Rajasthan, India, 1710\u201315, brush drawing with pigment on paper. The collection of Howard Hodgkin \u00a9 Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford<\/p>\n<\/a>From left to right: A Court Beauty, attributed to Chokha, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, 1805\u201310, opaque watercolour with gold and silver on cotton cloth. Botanical Study of a Composite Flower, Mughal, northern India, ca. 1630, opaque watercolour on paper. The collection of Howard Hodgkin \u00a9 Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford<\/p>\n<\/a>Howard Hodgkin, Autumn in Bombay, 2010\u201314, oil on wood. Photograph by Sean Weaver, The Aga Khan Museum \u00a9Howard Hodgkin, 2015. Courtesy of Gagosian Gallery.<\/p>\n