The Xavier Centre of Historical Research (Alto Porvorim, 0832 241 7772) takes great pleasure in inviting you to the opening of an historic exhibition of paintings by Dr. Jose Pereira. Epiphanies of the Hindu Gods is a unique suite of pastel paintings conceived by the artist as a tribute to his Hindu ancestry, and to the Indian classical tradition to which he has devoted a lifetime of prodigious scholarship. Each beautiful painting in the exhibition is based directly on descriptive passages in the original Sanskrit texts, and each figure is derived in minute detail from existing temple carvings, sculptures and paintings. It is a unique body of work, made even more impressive by the fact that the artist has executed them at the summation of a magnificent scholarly career, despite the setback of Parkinson´s disease.
Alongside Epiphanies of the Hindu Gods, the XCHR is delighted to present a retrospective exhibition of previous paintings by Dr. Pereira, including a rare self-portrait from 1946, and a collection of superb oil paintings based on the artist´s Catholic heritage. Among these are three monumental Pietas, each of which lay damaged and forgotten for decades before being restored by Dr. Pereira at the XCHR just this week. Seen together with his luminous recent work, all these paintings make an undeniable case for Dr. Pereira to be included among our greatest artists. Please join us to celebrate the artwork and life of the great Dr. Jose Pereira on July 24, at 5pm. Padmashree Dr. Maria Aurora Couto, Dr. Nandkumar Kamat, and Dr. Subodh Kerkar will open the exhibition. Biographical Note: Jose Pereira was born in Bombay in January 1931. He studied painting at the Sir JJ School of Art, and Sanskrit at Siddharth and St. Xavier's College, where he was awarded a Ph.D. degree in Ancient Indian History and Culture. He then did research and taught at the Instituto Superior de Estudos Ultramarinos in Lisbon, the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, the Institute of Archaeology, also in London, The American Academy of Benares in Varanasi, and Fordham University in New York. He has written more than twenty books and hundreds of scholarly articles. * * * The book people are already talking about: Goanetter Selma Carvalho's *Into the Diaspora Wilderness*. Launch on July 25, 2010 at the UK Goan Festival [http://goafest.itpsworld.net] Goa launch next month. See http://selmacarvalho.squarespace.com/ Buy at Broadway's, Panjim [Ph 9822488564] at Rs 295 in Goa. Overseas, postage extra. * * *
