The Eleventh Incarnation of Lord Vishnu

The Adventures of Grishna
by Marguerita
(all rights reserved.marguerita bornstein.2007)


The fabula I tell, in a sequence of 46 and some more drawings ,encapsulates Chapter One of my fertile imagination.
For the storyline, I created a fictitious love affair,made up of diverse comments and my curiosity.
It is all , a comic variation and a take on Krishna,The Divine Lover,myth and legend.
And atthis very moment,my son Jacob brought home a book,The Spice Box,a Vegetarian Indian Cookbook.
Spices,a subject that always interests me.
Allow me only to respond ahead of any queries,as I was questioned by an editor,I did show the drawings to,about my characters.

For years ,a very adorable Brazilian friend of mine,when I would send him images of different delicious things to eat,he would always come up with one demand he craved for : a sultry black woman.
As I grew up in Brazil,I understan d his sense of humor.
Politically -correct,most of the times can be taken to an imbecile road,as much as I am sensitive to how words can be lethal in many occasions.
So,as long as we maintain a level of respect and consideration,sense of humor cannot be censured.
In this case,the use of a black woman,has a sensual and loving connotation.
The Baianas,who I associate with the wonderful spices,the pimenta malagueta,
foods of African influence,the etymology and customs,dances and beliefs.
They are known for their cooking skills and are very spiritual.
Besides,I was brought up to respect every soul on this Earth,and not to harbor anger,despite that my mother and father experienced the most horrible
suffering that Man can impose unto another.The Holocaust.
The animal that appears in the series is a capivara.
It is a typical creature from Brazil and Argentina.
I also read a lot, about the way , the capivara lives.
I got inspired and started my Drawings:Capivara Series.
In Argentina it is called a carpincho.
Two years ago,I met an Argentinian man,by chance.
He told me that his mother,had just given him a leather article,made of carpincho leather.
Here he works as a painter.
En passant,I mentioned to him,my friend's desire.
My Argentinian new friend has a sense of humor and we talk mixing Portuguese and Spanish,which is called Portunhol.
One of his jobs,was at an Indian lady's home.
He refers to her,when talking to me,as la Hindu.
And many times,he is going crazy,with things that are happening as they have some language miscommunications.
So,he calls me and when is all upset,he just asks me about the black woman...
he also likes a lot,to eat duck(pato) and chocolate.
So,here is my plot:
The painter,the carpincho as a spirit(the duende) and the black woman that seduces him.
The Argentinian,whose name starts with G,becomes Grishna.
When I showed him my first drawings he understood my humor and saw the carpincho as a duende.which means a spiritual creature.
Khrisna,The Divine Lover,revered god,hero,the unique representation of these and many other attributes,is for centuries one os the most popular deities of the Hindu pantheon.
His colorful personality has permeated the realms of painting,sculpture,poetry and dramatic arts,as well as religious and cultural life at every level;it continues to exert powerful influence on everyday life and customs,d'apres David R.Godine.
In one of my drawings,the black woman sings a Brazilian song",Eu so quero um Xodo",by Gilberto Gil.
The lyrics are about the desire to find a lover.
The Perfumed Garden- for the Repose of the Mind,are sensual drawings,a classic work of Arabian Erotica,written by Sheik Nefzawi in the Sixteenth Century.
This work,was commissioned by the Grand Vizier of Tunis,who asked the Sheik to analyze "the source of our greatest pleasure.... in order that this knowledge should be widely known"
The notoriety which the Perfumed Garden has attracted,was predicted by its patron:
"It is only the ignorant and tearful"he said,"who will avoid it or try to turn it to ridicule".
Since its earliest exposure,Sheik Nefzawi's work has been consistently banned and supressed.
The work was translated by Sir Richard F.Burton (1821-1890) famous for his Arabian Nights,renowned as an author,explorer and Orientalist.
As the greatest Arabist of his time,he brings to The Parfumed Garden a profound knowledge of Arab life and literature.
Hope that who ever read and looks at my work will enjoy what gives me inspiration.
I am also influenced by Goya,(Francisco)not the canned food.
Marguerita