Voorstellingen van religieuze gebruiken uit India 1723

Bernard Picart created this print titled 'Representations of religious customs from India,' sometime around the late 17th and early 18th century. It offers a glimpse into how European artists and audiences perceived non-Western religious practices during the Age of Enlightenment. Picart never visited India, so he would have relied on secondary sources. The images reflect the period’s fascination with the “exotic” and “foreign.” It’s hard not to wonder about the gaze through which these scenes are interpreted and represented. The print depicts two distinct festivals: “La Procession de Ganga” and “La Fête de Huly,” or the Ganga procession and the Holi festival. In the Ganga procession, devotees are shown engaging in acts of devotion that appear shocking, like self-flagellation. In contrast, the Holi scene portrays a community engaged in music and dance. It invites us to consider questions around cultural exchange, representation, and the challenges of cross-cultural understanding.