Celestial Gallery

by Romio Shrestha

Originally published in a format over two feet tall, Romio Shrestha's beautiful art book is now available in a more standard size. Consisting of bold reinterpretations of age-old scroll painting, Celestial Gallery showcases intricately rendered Tibetan-style mandalas. In vivid detail and vibrant colors, master painter Shrestha and his team of artisan monks have created contemporary Nepalese versions of such deities as White Tara and the Medicine Buddha, as well as the Dakini mandala and other traditional Buddhist iconography. The Buddha’s message — “Be a light unto yourself” — is echoed in these visionary works, many of which have been showcased in major collections and museums including the British Museum and the National Museum in Moscow. Together they give readers an opportunity to experience afresh a timeless tradition with much to offer the world.

Genres: Art, Buddhism, Spirituality

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Karin Bartimole · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 2 foot tall format of this book made me feel like I was stepping into a room more than a book, as I opened its "door"/cover. Then to be engulfed in the beauty of saturated color and mind spinning details of Tibetan art and imagery - one could get lost for days...

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible piece of art combined with words of knowledge. The volume is so large, it will not fit on a bookshelf, so we purchased an easel to stand it on.

The illustrations are exquisite with intricate artwork and saturated color.

[Terra Bosart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous. That's all I can really say. Small pieces of knowledge intertwined with art.
This book is big. Very large.

[Vibhu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love it or hate it, this is a highly original work. R S (thankfully) cautions the readers that the works deviate from the existing norms of usage of Buddhist iconography, motifs and Thangka styles. For me personally, the paintings are either a hit or a miss. Given that Ian Baker had collaborated to write the blurbs to each painting, and that Robert Beer’s work has been cited and leveraged too in the volume, I was hoping for better quality textual material. I was also shocked by the coverage Tantrayana particularly got in this volume.

All in all 3.5/5

[Nfiniti Marable · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has the most gorgeous art and wonderful text to go with the art. One can just fall into all of the intricate details and vibrant colors. I got my copy from Barnes and Noble in their sales category, and what a steal! This book is great to useas a tool for meditation on the various Buddhas and Boddhisatvas. This is not one to miss, and I would get a hard copy of it, as digital form will never do it justice.

[Jude Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous! Informative and educational too!

[Ginger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated!

[Salvatore Familia]

Boldly reinterpreting an age-old artistic style of painting, this beautiful edition of Celestial Gallery showcases intricately rendered Tibetan-style mandalas, reproduced from a precious collection of magnificent scroll paintings. Master painter Romio Shrestha and his team of artisan monks have rendered Nepalese contemporary versions of deities such as White Tara, the Medicine Buddha and Dakini mandala, and other traditional Buddhist iconography in powerful detail and vibrant colors.
The Buddha’s message, beautifully echoed in the visionary thangka paintings of Shrestha, speaks to the universal desire for a sense of love, completion, and connectedness with the world around us. Presented in new contexts unconstrained by religious and artistic convention, Celestial Gallery offers an opportunity for a fresh awakening to the spirit of the tradition as it pushes the boundaries in our world today.