Temple Tiger- Limited Edition Reproduction on Paper by Nabibakhsh Mansoori

'Temple Tiger' Limited Edition Reproduction on Paper by Nabibakhsh Mansoori

When Nabibakhsh Mansoori was young, his father gifted him a prism and a convex lens. These instruments of light refraction opened up a new world of kaleidoscopic colours and forms for him—turning out to be sources of inspiration for his art throughout his career. Memories of his childhood spent in a small, hilly countryside village called Oda in Sabarkantha, Gujarat, also preoccupy Mansoori's artistic vision. 

His series on the Tiger is one such body of work, the images often blurring the line between fable and reality. The majestic jungle animal was a regular presence in Mansoori’s idyllic village; its sightings prompted many mythic tales. The tiger was sometimes a blessing from the gods, and at times a watchful guardian. Mansoori puts these remembered stories to canvas, but as if through a watercoloured dream-scape. The tiger is often larger-than-life and solid, as it weaves through shifting landscapes and whimsical patterns of colour. More notably, the juxtaposing image of man is omnipresent in each painting.

In that, Mansoori has brought up an urgent environmental issue: the encroachment of man-made urbanization on wild habitats, and the subsequent danger it has brought to one of India’s most fierce and beautiful animals. The artist’s concern is one echoed by many around the world, particularly since, there are only 1,411 tigers left in India as of March 2015.  

Prints of Nabibakhsh Mansoori’s “Tiger! Tiger!” collection are more than an homage to a great Indian artist—they’re also an appeal to conserve and protect India’s national animal.