Pictures of Sri Aurobindo's poems

Introduction

After the exhibition of Savitri paintings I felt strongly to express some of Sri Aurobindo's selected Poems and Sonnets through paintings. The Mother responded. I recall the words she spoke on 10th February 1967:

"Child, the Lord wants you to do the new things — the new creation."

So here we are to fulfil the Lord's wish.

On 10th March 1967 we started the work.

The Mother read with a magnifying glass a passage from 'Songs to Myrtilla' which I had typed in capital letters.

Then I gave her a sketch book to show me a picture with a few strokes. She said with a smile:

"Ah, but my child, I haven't done sketches for ages!"

I pleaded: "Mother, please do only a few lines. I will be inspired."

The Mother went into a trance. On waking, she did a sketch and explained to me the colour-scheme.

That very night I painted the picture. The next morning I sent it to the Mother. She wrote:

It was Monday 29th March 1967. I read to the Mother some passages from Collected Poems. She asked me to reject three passages and do paintings of the rest.

I prayed to her to show me through her sketches what to do about these pictures. She said while touching her forehead:

I am blank. I do not see any pictures. Do them with the inspiration which I am giving you.

I said with disappointment: "Oh! if you can't, how can I do them?"

She spoke with a soft laughter, nodding her head:

I know that you can do them. Simply sit in front of the boards and the inspiration will come.

Then she caressed my hands and looked deeply into my eyes with her luminous and smiling gaze.

I did the paintings according to her inspiration and instructions. In fact, from time to time she corrected my paintings and never forgot to explain to me in detail the colour-scheme.

The Mother saw all the fifty-four paintings of Sri Aurobindo' s poems on 1st September 1967. She liked them very much and expressed her happiness and satisfaction.

These paintings along with some new ones I had done under the Mother's guidance were exhibited on 20th February 1968. The Mother's message for this exhibition ran:

My declaration was:

"Nature proves her collaboration
with a smile of flowers"

Love and Grace of our Divine Mother are endless ...

To express our gratitude,—
Let us all collaborate with Her fully and sincerely with our deepest love ...

20.2.68

Huta

The Mother was pleased with the declaration.

In 1970 slides were made of these paintings along with the paintings of Savitri. The slides were shown in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Theatre before the Birth Centenary of Sri Aurobindo, 15th August 1972.

For the Savitri paintings the Mother recited the passages and I recorded them. The background music was her own organ-music.

When the time came to recite the Poems, her voice failed. So I recited them with her approval. I did the recording of my recitation at home. It took me almost six months. I did it late at night when everything was hushed. Later I went to the projector room to blend this recitation with the background music composed by Sunil Bhattacharya.

I requested the Mother to hear the recitation before it was played to the audience.

On 5th May 1972 at 10.40 a.m. the Mother heard the first part of the recitation. Unfortunately the sound was not upto the mark and the background music was loud. Later I came to know that the amplifier was not in order. Neverthless, the Mother said:

"It is very good, it is all right. You have done better than I expected."

She encouraged me, but I was not satisfied.

Once again on 12th May the Mother heard the second part of the recitation. She remarked:

"It is very good. You have progressed."

Now I am happy to be able to publish in book form the paintings, along with Sri Aurobindo's verses, the Mother's comments and some of my own research.

My profound gratitude always to Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

Huta

The art of the painter justifies visually to the spirit the search of the sense for delight by making it its own search for the pure intensities of meaning of the universal beauty it has revealed or hidden in creation; the indulgence of the eye's desire in perfection of form and colour becomes an enlightenment of the inner being through the power of a certain spiritually aesthetic Ananda.

Sri Aurobindo, The Renaissance in India: Indian Art - IV

O Lord,

awaken in me
the ardent desire to know You.
I aspire to consecrate my life to
Your service.

The Mother, Some Answers from the Mother: 24 December 1971