Re: [Goanet] Isabel Santa Rita Vás on Jose Pereira (see link for images)
Thank you Isabel Santa Rita Vás for your beautiful expression on Prof. José Pereira. Much appreciation VM, for sharing Ms Vás' reflective text. Venantius On Tue, Jan 27, 2015 at 12:23 AM, V M vmin...@gmail.com wrote: http://www.tambdimati.com/article/earth-and-heaven-in-conversation/ Earth and heaven in conversation Isabel Santa Rita Vás Limits are challenges, even when the wide world is your canvas. The earth has charmed him with its natural beauty; the things of the earth, its songs, its languages and architecture, have been irresistible realms that he must explore. But the earth was never enough. He needed to cross the limit. He heard the heavens beckon too. And so, Dr. Pereira turned to the study of theology, mythology, the scriptures, the writing of the mystics. He rises above narrow limits of disciplines to achieve a rich and cosmopolitan understanding of culture. The pulse of all his meditative research is best felt transmuted into his art. It is here that earth and heaven enter into intimate conversation. Jose Pereira was born in 1931. His family home is in Curtorim, Goa, but his scholarly pursuits have taken him far and wide. He can be described with many epithets: researcher, author of books on art and architecture, musicologist, linguist. But in his heart, the greatest passion has always been his painting. The themes on his canvasses range from the crucified Christ, to a self-portrait, to classical themes of Hindu art. In his murals we come face to face with all manner of creatures of the earth, and the God who is manifest as nourishment for the soul. He has imbibed the spirit of the great classics he has studied and his paintings reveal the breadth and harmony of his vision. In the Chapel of São Joaquim, in Borda, Margao, we come face to face with frescoes of great exuberance and power executed in 1999. The sheer delicacy and wealth of detail capture our gaze and hold it in thrall. We look with wonder at rural scenes of a Goan landscape that is still recognizable, though fast disappearing in rapidly urbanizing times. Dr. Pereira writes about his work: The production of food is envisaged as a Eucharistic sacrifice of the earth's first fruits, performed not in confining temples but on the wide earth and under the open sky. Vivek Menezes remarks, It is a consistently thought-provoking painting, easily among the most interesting modern public artworks in India. The Chapel at Fatorda, Margao, hosts yet another marvelous work. The paintings on the wall are an offering of colour and form and luminosity, where feeling and thought reveal the earth and heaven in conversation. Dr. Pereira's health began to fail him when he started this work, so he painted only the face of Christ in the fresco technique, with its wide glaring eyes and then surrendered the rest of the work to be painted in acrylic by two art students, Sandesh Shetgaonkar and Sudin Kurpaskar. Jose Lourenco provided technical expertise. 'Why are his eyes so glaring,' Jose Lourenco asked him. 'That's because He is angry,' he replied, 'at what we have done to His creation'. Pereira is a deeply religious man, who believes, like Pascal, in doing little things as great things, and great things with ease, in tandem with the Omnipotence of God. Jose Pereira was an avid learner even as a young man. His interest in his Indian heritage led him to opt for a B.A. (Hons.) in Sanskrit, side by side with a full-time course at the J.J. School of Art. He went on to gain his doctorate in Ancient Indian History and Culture from the University of Bombay in 1958. He then took up the position of Research Associate in History of Indian Art at the American Academy of Benares, Varanasi from 1967 to '69. He was adjunct Professor of East and West Cultural Relations at the Instituto Superior de Estudos Ultramarinos in Lisbon, Portugal. He later joined Fordham University, New York, as a Professor of Theology. The research and the writing never waned. Dr. Pereira has published more than 20 books and over 130 articles of theology, history of art and architecture, and on Goan culture, language and music. Referring to his brilliant mind and scholarship, Maria Aurora Couto notes: It was always a play between mind and heart, serious thought and the earthy humour of Konkani folk song, the wistful lyrics of the Mando, melancholic, speaking of the unattainable, and the richness of an inheritance that has sustained us. I hate Goa, Dr. Pereira has been heard to comment drily. Perhaps it is his very love of Goa that leads him to hate certain trends that he sees emerging in the land of his ancestors. He often laments that the Konkani language may be reduced to a literary artefact. It is this same deep passion for Goan culture and language that has that has inspired him to study the traditional Goan Konkani song, the Mando. Jose Pereira writes about this kind of song, and about the work of
Re: [Goanet] Isabel Santa Rita Vás on Jose Pereira (see link for images)
Wow Isabel..that is positively Brilliant. Thank you Isabel, VM and Venantius best jc On Jan 27, 2015, at 2:09 PM, Venantius J Pinto venantius.pi...@gmail.com wrote: Thank you Isabel Santa Rita Vás for your beautiful expression on Prof. José Pereira. Much appreciation VM, for sharing Ms Vás' reflective text. Venantius On Tue, Jan 27, 2015 at 12:23 AM, V M vmin...@gmail.com wrote: http://www.tambdimati.com/article/earth-and-heaven-in-conversation/ Earth and heaven in conversation Isabel Santa Rita Vás Limits are challenges, even when the wide world is your canvas. The earth has charmed him with its natural beauty; the things of the earth, its songs, its languages and architecture, have been irresistible realms that he must explore. But the earth was never enough. He needed to cross the limit. He heard the heavens beckon too. And so, Dr. Pereira turned to the study of theology, mythology, the scriptures, the writing of the mystics. He rises above narrow limits of disciplines to achieve a rich and cosmopolitan understanding of culture. The pulse of all his meditative research is best felt transmuted into his art. It is here that earth and heaven enter into intimate conversation. Jose Pereira was born in 1931. His family home is in Curtorim, Goa, but his scholarly pursuits have taken him far and wide. He can be described with many epithets: researcher, author of books on art and architecture, musicologist, linguist. But in his heart, the greatest passion has always been his painting. The themes on his canvasses range from the crucified Christ, to a self-portrait, to classical themes of Hindu art. In his murals we come face to face with all manner of creatures of the earth, and the God who is manifest as nourishment for the soul. He has imbibed the spirit of the great classics he has studied and his paintings reveal the breadth and harmony of his vision. In the Chapel of São Joaquim, in Borda, Margao, we come face to face with frescoes of great exuberance and power executed in 1999. The sheer delicacy and wealth of detail capture our gaze and hold it in thrall. We look with wonder at rural scenes of a Goan landscape that is still recognizable, though fast disappearing in rapidly urbanizing times. Dr. Pereira writes about his work: The production of food is envisaged as a Eucharistic sacrifice of the earth's first fruits, performed not in confining temples but on the wide earth and under the open sky. Vivek Menezes remarks, It is a consistently thought-provoking painting, easily among the most interesting modern public artworks in India. The Chapel at Fatorda, Margao, hosts yet another marvelous work. The paintings on the wall are an offering of colour and form and luminosity, where feeling and thought reveal the earth and heaven in conversation. Dr. Pereira's health began to fail him when he started this work, so he painted only the face of Christ in the fresco technique, with its wide glaring eyes and then surrendered the rest of the work to be painted in acrylic by two art students, Sandesh Shetgaonkar and Sudin Kurpaskar. Jose Lourenco provided technical expertise. 'Why are his eyes so glaring,' Jose Lourenco asked him. 'That's because He is angry,' he replied, 'at what we have done to His creation'. Pereira is a deeply religious man, who believes, like Pascal, in doing little things as great things, and great things with ease, in tandem with the Omnipotence of God. Jose Pereira was an avid learner even as a young man. His interest in his Indian heritage led him to opt for a B.A. (Hons.) in Sanskrit, side by side with a full-time course at the J.J. School of Art. He went on to gain his doctorate in Ancient Indian History and Culture from the University of Bombay in 1958. He then took up the position of Research Associate in History of Indian Art at the American Academy of Benares, Varanasi from 1967 to '69. He was adjunct Professor of East and West Cultural Relations at the Instituto Superior de Estudos Ultramarinos in Lisbon, Portugal. He later joined Fordham University, New York, as a Professor of Theology. The research and the writing never waned. Dr. Pereira has published more than 20 books and over 130 articles of theology, history of art and architecture, and on Goan culture, language and music. Referring to his brilliant mind and scholarship, Maria Aurora Couto notes: It was always a play between mind and heart, serious thought and the earthy humour of Konkani folk song, the wistful lyrics of the Mando, melancholic, speaking of the unattainable, and the richness of an inheritance that has sustained us. I hate Goa, Dr. Pereira has been heard to comment drily. Perhaps it is his very love of Goa that leads him to hate certain trends that he sees emerging in the land of his ancestors. He often laments that the Konkani language may be reduced to a literary artefact. It is this same
[Goanet] Isabel Santa Rita Vás on Jose Pereira (see link for images)
http://www.tambdimati.com/article/earth-and-heaven-in-conversation/ Earth and heaven in conversation Isabel Santa Rita Vás Limits are challenges, even when the wide world is your canvas. The earth has charmed him with its natural beauty; the things of the earth, its songs, its languages and architecture, have been irresistible realms that he must explore. But the earth was never enough. He needed to cross the limit. He heard the heavens beckon too. And so, Dr. Pereira turned to the study of theology, mythology, the scriptures, the writing of the mystics. He rises above narrow limits of disciplines to achieve a rich and cosmopolitan understanding of culture. The pulse of all his meditative research is best felt transmuted into his art. It is here that earth and heaven enter into intimate conversation. Jose Pereira was born in 1931. His family home is in Curtorim, Goa, but his scholarly pursuits have taken him far and wide. He can be described with many epithets: researcher, author of books on art and architecture, musicologist, linguist. But in his heart, the greatest passion has always been his painting. The themes on his canvasses range from the crucified Christ, to a self-portrait, to classical themes of Hindu art. In his murals we come face to face with all manner of creatures of the earth, and the God who is manifest as nourishment for the soul. He has imbibed the spirit of the great classics he has studied and his paintings reveal the breadth and harmony of his vision. In the Chapel of São Joaquim, in Borda, Margao, we come face to face with frescoes of great exuberance and power executed in 1999. The sheer delicacy and wealth of detail capture our gaze and hold it in thrall. We look with wonder at rural scenes of a Goan landscape that is still recognizable, though fast disappearing in rapidly urbanizing times. Dr. Pereira writes about his work: “The production of food is envisaged as a Eucharistic sacrifice of the earth’s first fruits, performed not in confining temples but on the wide earth and under the open sky.” Vivek Menezes remarks, “It is a consistently thought-provoking painting, easily among the most interesting modern public artworks in India.” The Chapel at Fatorda, Margao, hosts yet another marvelous work. The paintings on the wall are an offering of colour and form and luminosity, where feeling and thought reveal the earth and heaven in conversation. Dr. Pereira’s health began to fail him when he started this work, so he painted only the face of Christ in the fresco technique, with its wide glaring eyes and then surrendered the rest of the work to be painted in acrylic by two art students, Sandesh Shetgaonkar and Sudin Kurpaskar. Jose Lourenco provided technical expertise. ‘Why are his eyes so glaring,’ Jose Lourenco asked him. ‘That’s because He is angry,’ he replied, ‘at what we have done to His creation’. Pereira is a deeply religious man, who believes, like Pascal, in doing little things as great things, and great things with ease, in tandem with the Omnipotence of God. Jose Pereira was an avid learner even as a young man. His interest in his Indian heritage led him to opt for a B.A. (Hons.) in Sanskrit, side by side with a full-time course at the J.J. School of Art. He went on to gain his doctorate in Ancient Indian History and Culture from the University of Bombay in 1958. He then took up the position of Research Associate in History of Indian Art at the American Academy of Benares, Varanasi from 1967 to ’69. He was adjunct Professor of East and West Cultural Relations at the Instituto Superior de Estudos Ultramarinos in Lisbon, Portugal. He later joined Fordham University, New York, as a Professor of Theology. The research and the writing never waned. Dr. Pereira has published more than 20 books and over 130 articles of theology, history of art and architecture, and on Goan culture, language and music. Referring to his brilliant mind and scholarship, Maria Aurora Couto notes: “It was always a play between mind and heart, serious thought and the earthy humour of Konkani folk song, the wistful lyrics of the Mando, melancholic, speaking of the unattainable, and the richness of an inheritance that has sustained us.” “I hate Goa,” Dr. Pereira has been heard to comment drily. Perhaps it is his very love of Goa that leads him to hate certain trends that he sees emerging in the land of his ancestors. He often laments that the Konkani language may be reduced to a literary artefact. It is this same deep passion for Goan culture and language that has that has inspired him to study the traditional Goan Konkani song, the Mando. Jose Pereira writes about this kind of song, and about the work of Micael Martins, composer and researcher in this field: “A new culture, that of Latin Europe, embellished with music, was implanted in Goa by the Portuguese in the early 16th Century. Quickly assimilated, this musical culture acquired a distinct Goan identity in the 18th Century, one which
