Welcome to
Vedic
Quest
Join me as I revisualize characters from Indian antiquity in more contemporary styles
Inspired by the post-Independance style prevalent across South Asia
Krishna is the orator of the Bhagawad Gita in the Mahabharata and a prominent Hindu god
Stylized to animated realism
Created in Replicate lucataco/animate-diff (link)
The goddess Sita was the queen consort of Lord Ram of the eponymous Ramayana
She stayed at the Sage Valmiki's monastery during her pregnancy
She loved relazing near a cool pond
Attempted Disney realism in this video
The ruler Ashoka is widely considered to be the first Buddhist king, rejecting the path that brough him to war, in favor of the enlightened path of Nirvana
Seen here on his war elephant, shrunken to the size of a horse
Stylized in the form of a sculpture in motion
The painter Ram Mohan Roy popularized a style of muted realism in colonial era Indian art, which serves as the inspiration
She symbolizes fertility, marital felicity, devotion to the spouse, asceticism, and power
Stylized to shoujo-style anime
A devoted herald of Prince Ram, he can change size, fly, and has superhuman strength
Depicts honor, loyalty, and passion without temper
This short clip pays homage to animation director Peter Chung (Aeon Flux)
The tragedy of the demigod Jatayu is illustrated in the Ramayan, when he tries and fails to prevent the kidnapping of princess Sita
Rendered in the anthropomorphic motion capture style pioneered in Beowulf (2007) and The Golden Compass (2007)
It all started when Amruta advised I go to the Arts and Crafts Hackathon sponsored by Replicate in SF. They were really welcoming and kept the theme open ended on what to make and demo.
I wanted to stay authentic and make something close to my heart: a reimagining of ancient Indian art in styles people near me found familiar.
This concept is not new - the journey of Buddhism across Asia is a great exmaple of a story incubated inside local art styles for the sake of connecting with the locals. It's why the Indian Buddha and Japanese one look so different, but are irrefutable the same.
Eurocentric art is expansive but largely familiar in the Western world - from Renaissance to Classical Revival, all the way down to abstratct mixed media. Throw in the more recent imports of Manga and Anime from Japan and we have a wide variety to choose from.
My goal with this project is to showcase stories and characters from Indian antiquity in a friendly, familiar art style.
Lastly, I'll be sharing this site with my parents on their anniversary as a thank you for all the stories they told me growing up. Thank you, Mother and Father