The Black Pagoda X

Ynez Johnston

The second from a series of 10 color lithographs titled "The Black Pagoda", published and printed at Tamarind in Los Angeles in 1966. Like puzzle pieces waiting to be joined, Ynez Johnston has disassembled the object of her inspiration to examine each piece as a stand-alone item, allowing for the viewer to ponder the meaning of each.

The imagery of this print is based on the walls of the Sun Temple of Konark in Orissa, India, a 13th century sandstone structure which is, according to Tagore: 'Where the language of stone surpasses the language of man'. "Every inch of the remaining portions of the temple is covered ...in tableaux and freestanding pieces ranging from the monumental to the miniature. The subject matter is..thousands of images, deities, celestial and human musicians, dancers, lovers, and myriad scenes of courtly life, ranging from hunts and military battles to the pleasures of courtly relaxation."