Meditating the Sackler

The outermost rectangle is a beautiful tangling of vines, leaves and a flower. Within it lies a smaller rectangle of delicate swirls, lines and curves so fine and perfect they must have been inspired by a higher power. And inside that rectangle, one finds another exquisite border of grapes and birds, framing the central focus of the painting, Emperor Akbar and Gosain Jadrup.

And who might these two be? They are participants in one of the world's great traditions, perhaps one of its few universal traditions: the search for spiritual truth. Divinely Inspired: Images of Mystics and Mendicantsis a small but eloquent exhibit tucked away on the second floor of the Sackler Museum that provides a glimpse of the Different religious conceptions of non-Western cultures. The figures portrayed in the exhibit are on their way to awareness and enlightenment, while the exhibit itself attempts do make these spiritual quests into a coherent and interesting ensemble, and if does so rather well. The paintings, drawings and photographs are collected from the 16th to the 20th centuries, with a heavy Middle Eastern and Indian flavor. The themes and subject matter of these images will be new and exotic to many observers; there are more images of whirling dervishes (and seated and wandering dervishes, for that matter) than of Mary or Jesus. Spiritual searches have a world of diversity, and the customs and practices often overlooked by the Western world will be found here.

The Frontpiece from the Divan of Hafiz is a wonderful representative of the charm this exhibit exudes. A watercolor with gold (yes, actual gold on the paper), the Frontpiececonsists of two elegant rectangles filled with gold twists, whirls and royal blue coloring that chase each other around in delicately ordered chaos, so finely patterned that the magnifying glasses provided will certainly be put to good use. The Frontpieceand other works like it are too free and graceful to the called geometric. Some secret structure hides in these patterns, like the order that supports musical harmony or poetry, and it never interferes with the purity of the designs.

But this exquisite beauty is not what makes the exhibit so evocative and thought-provoking. Divinely Inspiredis more about the seekers, and not so much about what they seek. The collection shows a very human side to this quest for enlightenment and tells the story of the actual morals who contemplate and search for divine truth. A simple, modest sketch of a man bowing in prayer provides a solemn contrast to elaborate paintings of wise teachers in rich robes. Sometimes there is no need for ornamentation. One particularly striking work is a black and white photograph of three ascetics, men who practice strict self-denial as a part of their spiritual discipline. Their sheet-garments are stark white, and their ribs make it painfully obvious that their spiritual devotion is unwavering. Yet they are so serene and peacefully content, one has to wonder if they know something the rest of us don't. Can the soul live best when it lives simply? This is one of the many metaphysical questions Divinely Inspiredstruggles with. It will provide no answers, nor does it intend to. We see evidence of some ultimate order, of something divine in the Complex and gorgeous patterns of curves and colors, and evidence of the truth in the eyes of an old man. But, as with everything religious, the answers are ultimately left for us to discover.