jueves, 19 de mayo de 2011

Descent of Lord Shiva and Family from Kailash

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Shiva and Family

Availability: Sólo Uno en la acción

Código del Artículo: HL25

Water Color Painting on Paper

8.0 inch X 10.0 inch

Precio: Euro 377.00

Descent of Lord Shiva and Family from Kailash

Availability: Sólo Uno en la acción

Código del Artículo: HK24

Watercolor on Paper
Artist: Kailash Raj

7.6 inches X 9.5 inches

Precio: Euro 248.00

Descripción

Descent of Shiva family from Mount Kailash has been a favourite theme of medieval painters, more particularly those from Himalayan hills. This contemporary masterpiece is, in hair-width exactness, identical to an early 19th century Pahari miniature from Garhwal, one of the late centres of Pahari painting, now in the National Museum, New Delhi. It captures alike the mood of the portrayed figures, demeanour of their mounts and all related details. The painting blends classicism that holds that Mount Kailash is Shiva's permanent abode with common man's belief under which he along with his family descends to plains for winter. Besides the unique phenomenon that the theme presents, in the rendition scholars see the symbolically conveyed prime gist of Shaivite thought : the Auspicious descends from Mount Kailash, the abode of gods, bringing bliss to the earth and her inhabitants. The theme emphasises that whatever is blissful and auspicious descend on the earth from the realm of the Divine bringing to her prosperity and good and keeping away evil. A vivid and diversified landscape apart, in tune with this blend - gods' auspices brought to common man's abode, the painting reveals, as its background, the fusion of the earth with the sky – another mode of depicting the merger of the two worlds.

The painting portrays the five-faced Lord Shiva – his form as Sadashiva, descending from Mount Kailash, represented symbolically by a distant lake, obviously the lake Manasarovara, and a snow-white mansion with caves-like entrances. Lord Shiva is mounted on his bull Nandi. On Shiva's right is his consort Parvati on her lion; ahead of Parvati is their elder son, the five-faced Karttikeya riding his peacock; and, on Parvati's right is the elephant-headed Ganesh on his mouse. Every one of Shiva, Parvati, Karttikeya and Ganesh, or even their mounts, seems to have a different kind of emotional disposition which reflects on their faces, or which shapes their facial demeanour, and the painting is outstanding in revealing it. It depicts with the same fervour the child-like enthusiasm on the face of Ganesh and in the demeanour of his mount mouse, with which it reveals the commander-like gravity on Karttiyeya's face and the confidence in the posture of his mount peacock. Walking in between her spouse and sons, in Parvati's facial demeanour and gesture of hands reveals her concern for both. And, accordingly, she is carrying in her left hand a cup containing 'bhang' – Shiva's favourite drink, and in the right, a tray of 'laddus' – ball-like shaped sweet, for which Ganesh had exceptional passion. In Shiva's drowsy eyes reflects partly his contemplative disposition and partly the intoxicating effect of 'bhang'. He is perhaps turning beads with his right hand inside his bag. The corresponding sentiment revealing in the behaviour of each of the pets, representing live nature, and the glow reflecting in the tree, shrubs and the entire background – the non-living nature, suggests that the Holy family – Shiva, the Purusha, primordial man, Parvati, the energy incarnate, Ganesh, the ultimate good and auspice, and Karttikeya, the ultimate valour and commanding force, pervades the Creation in its entirety.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of ancient Indian literature. Dr Daljeet is the chief curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the National Museum of India, New Delhi. They have both collaborated on numerous books on Indian art and culture.

Lord Shiva in Ecstatic Dance

Availability: Sólo Uno en la acción

Water Color Painting on Paper
Artist: Kailash Raj

10.0 inch X 7.6 inch

Precio: Euro 301.00

Descripción

This miniature, a timeless art-piece, rendered using mid-eighteenth century Chamba idiom of the Pahari art style, represents Lord Shiva engaged in ecstatic dance. The tradition perceives Lord Shiva as revealing him and thereby the entire cosmos which is his mere manifest form, and all its aspects : beauty, good, and even ugly and destruction, in dance. He hence created as many forms of dance as the aspects of the cosmos, each revealing one of them. He danced to create as also to destroy, the two ultimate aspects of his cosmic act. This form of his dance has been identified as ‘lasya’, one of his two major dance-forms, the other being ‘tandava’. In ‘lasya’ revealed creation and consequentially all that related to it : beauty, good, creativity, love, union, sensualism, emotion, desire, ecstasy, joy, jubilation, all colours, all softer aspects, whether of creation or of a created being, and all fascinations, and in ‘tandava’, destruction and dissolution, and thus, annihilation of forms and formal world. The dance of creation ‘lasya’ is said to descend into oceanic depths and to bud within, blooming in eyes, in the lustre of crimson cheeks, sensually glowing lips, and in the entire being. Love, union and creation are its modes.

Apparently, his figure bursting with great ecstasy and energy, he seems to be dancing for his own delight and for the delight of all around him : his family, consort, sons, and by extension those adopted as sons, and the sons-like dear devotees, with the faces of men or animals. However, under broad Shaivite metaphysical tradition Shiva’s dance is Shiva’s ‘cosmic act’ and this dance-forms manifests his act of creation which the presence of his consort, the source of love, union and creation, of his sons, the source of worldly attachment, and of his devotees in whose act the ties of the material world get credence, consolidates. The artist further strengthens this analogy of ‘lasya’ and creation when he paints trees bursting with colours and twisting to dance; the earth as green, to symbolize abundance, and the silvery sky, to reflect the time’s pace – rising and setting of the sun. In ‘tandava’ forms dissolve, colours diffuse into darkness, and time leaves no traces. Contrary from ‘lasya’ that love defines, ‘tandava’ is fire in which everything dissolves; and, Shiva, the Natesh, is the Lord of both, ‘lasya’ and ‘tandava’.

Bare footed and with normal two arms, his usual humanized form, Shiva has been represented in the centre of the canvas as dancing in full ecstasy and delight. The force of his action reveals in the motion of his matted hair wind-like shooting to his right while his figure throws itself to left. Whether disabled by the pace of the movement of his feet or to keep pace with it and to the rhythm that the music created, his loincloth, consisting of two parts, a leopard-skin on the front, and elephant hide, on the back, his sole ensemble, whirls off his body, and his serpent – his adornment, coiling around his neck, floats into the air. As if intoxicated with his favourite drink ‘bhanga’ his eyes reveal amour and great emotionality.

Not mere witnesses, the entire Shiva family joins the dance : his consort Parvati is playing on ‘vina’, a stringed musical instrument of gods and celestial beings; six-faced Karttikeya, beating a metal disc by two of his hands, and by other two, cymbals; the four-armed Ganesh seems to have taken his father’s ‘damaru’ – double drum, and is beating it. By his other two hands he is playing on a lyre, perhaps consisting of a single string; the multi-armed Bana, Shiva’s ardent devotee, and loved by Shiva and Parvati as their another son, is playing on innumerable drums, holding them in his multiple hands; his devotees, humane as well as those with heads like parrot, goat, sheep and monkey are blowing pipes, beating kettledrums, flat drums, and cymbals.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.