Pancha-mukha Shiva in Padmasana

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In the usual iconography in Pancha-mukha form in sculptures Shiva’s image carries elephant hide either on his shoulders or under him as his seat; in this canvas painting it is absent. Here he is wearing a tiger skin as his loincloth which a fur with delicate golden hair supports on his waist. The absence of Nandi, his bull, is conspicuous. Alike conspicuous is his lotus seat and the tiger skin, not elephant’s, laid over it, the features not usually seen in the conventionalised iconography of the Pancha-mukha Shiva. A large size trident and an elaborate double drum are, however, in perfect adherence to the convention of his Pancha-mukha form.

Initially a form as evolved in Shaivite sculptures, the iconography of Pancha-mukha manifestation of Lord Shiva was largely conventionalised. However, there subsequently emerged in painting medium, perhaps conditioned by its two-dimensional format, also a number of deviations and thus the iconography of Pancha-mukha form greatly diversified. In sculptures four of the five faces were carved on all four sides, or in four directions, and the fifth, conceived as invisible, was not carved, or if at all, was carved above other four, facing the sky. In miniature paintings, with canvas not having stone's multi-dimensionality, a face above four, facing the sky, as also one on the back side, were practically improbable. As in this large size oil painting, medieval miniatures preferred drawing all five faces in front, one centrally and other four, symmetrically on sides. Despite multiple heads most sculptures conceived the image with single ‘jata-juta’ – coiffure, for only a single coiffure could house the skywards facing fifth head. In miniatures, every head, a unit in itself, began having its own coiffure. Perhaps a numerical sequel, the five-faced Shiva had a ten-armed form and as many attributes in them. In painting medium the number of arms was often less for such multiplicity of arms might have been seen as distorting the anatomical aesthetics of the image.

In this representation, all the five faces are drawn in front, the central one front-facing, two flanking it, three-fourth front-facing, and other two in the last, in profile and only partially visible. All five heads have their independent coiffures, consisting of vertically coiling thick hair braids, each of which a hooded serpent enshrines. Here Lord Shiva does not have ten arms but just four, the upper right, turning beads, symbolic of his Mahayogi form, the upper left, carrying the golden model of Tripura – three golden cities of demons that he destroyed, symbolic of his Tripurantaka form, the lower right, carrying his usual trident with double drum hung on it, representing Tandava, his dance of annihilation, symbolic of his role as Destroyer in the Great Trinity, and, finally, the lower left, carrying a skull, representing him as Bhairava, who as Time presides over all spaces, known and not-known, ever after and before dissolution.

The five-faced image of Lord Shiva has been portrayed against a background of the snow-covered hill-ranges of Himalayas, Shiva’s usual abode. The artist has manipulated his perspectives of distance and height and the gradual rise of hill-ranges by cleverly using his canvas and colours, the green rows of hills in the bottom, and the snow-covered, on the top. Beyond them is just the formless blue sky. Significantly, blue, Shiva’s body colour, infused in all forms, water below and the sky above, and Himalayan hill ranges in between, suggests that Shiva, more so in his Pancha-mukha form – his manifestation as Sadashiva, pervades all spaces, all forms, and the time.

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.

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Oil painting technique – India centric

Oil painting is the most interesting technique in art. Unlike other paintings or art forms, oil painting is a process in which colored pigments are painted on the canvas with a drying oil medium as a binder. This medium helps colors blend beautifully to create layers and also makes them appear rich and dense. Several varieties of oil are used in this painting such as sunflower oil, linseed oil, etc., and depending on the quality of the oil, a particular consistency of the paint is developed. With the use of an oil medium, the painting gets a natural sheen on the surface which appears extremely attractive. India is famous for its old tradition of making oil paintings. This art form was brought by Europeans in the 18th century and is now practiced by almost all well-known artists. Nirmal, a small tribal town in the state of Telangana is the center of traditional oil paintings in India where the local people practice it with dedication. Most Indian artists still use the traditional technique of oil painting.

Canvas of the required size is prepared

The artists use either a wood panel or canvas made from linen or cotton. Sometimes the canvas is stretched onto the wooden frame to form a solid base, or cardboard may be used. The canvas is coated with a layer of white paint or chalk mixed with animal glue. This mixture is then smoothed and dried to form a uniform, textured surface. The wooden panel is more expensive and heavier but its solidity is an advantage in making detailed paintings with ease.

Sketch is drawn on the canvas

Now the artist starts to draw the subject of the painting on the canvas using the actual charcoal or a charcoal pencil. Sometimes, he may sketch with thinned paint as well.

Oil paint is applied using paint brushes or palette knives

Now that the rough sketch is prepared, the artist is now ready to paint. Oil paint, a special paint that contains particles of pigments suspended in a drying oil (usually linseed oil), is again mixed with oil to make it thinner for applying it on the canvas. Proper consistency of the paint is maintained to avoid its breakage. The most important rule for the application of oil paint is “Fat over lean” in which the first layer of paint is thin and later, thicker layers are applied. This means that each additional layer of paint contains more oil. This results in getting a stable paint film. Traditionally, paint was applied using paint brushes but now the artists also use palette knives to create crisp strokes. To paint using this technique, the edge of the palette knife is used to create textured strokes that appear different from that of a paintbrush. Sometimes, oil paints are blended simply using fingers for getting the desired gradation.

Smaller oil paintings, with very fine detail, are relatively easier to paint than larger ones. The most attractive feature of these paintings is the natural shiny appearance that is obtained on the surface because of the use of oil paint. The blending of colors looks extremely realistic and this is the reason why oil paintings are loved by everyone throughout the world.