“Goddess Tara, a female Buddha and meditational deity, is arguably the most popular goddess in the Buddhist pantheon. She is considered to be the goddess of universal compassion who represents virtuous and enlightened activity.”
"White Tara"
74" x 26"
silk
The goddess Tara is known in many countries under different names. In China f.e. she is known as Kuan Yin.
For me the feminist aspect was very appealing. You won’t find too many personalities in history and the devine pantheon which are feminine authorities in this world of male predominance. So my inspiration for this work resulted in depicting this image of a very sympathetic goddess other than the female aspect being interpreted as that of seduction and evil as in christian beliefs, a witch or revengeful spirit as in Greek mythology and other myths.
The second theme of this quilt is the lotus flower. Lotus is a symbol of purity and has healing powers.
“In Buddhist symbolism the lotus represents purity of body, speech, and mind, as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. The Buddha is often depicted sitting on a giant lotus leaf or blossom. According to legend, he was born with the ability to walk and everywhere he stepped, lotus flowers bloomed” (Wikipedia)
While the image of the goddess Tara was adorned with jewellery and lotus buds and blossoms allover, her skirts additionally were embellished with tiny beads. The patterns on her skirts were hand painted with metallic pigments.
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