A Fine Painting of Veer Hanuman

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This resplendent oil painting portrays Hanuman, who is invoked by millions of his devotees for protecting them in difficulties, his basic attribute for which he is worshipped - 'Ko nahin janat hai jag mein Kapi Sankat Mochan nama timharo' – who knows not in the world, O Monkey God, redeemer in crisis is thy name. To his devotees, Hanuman is possessed of unfathomable knowledge and immeasurable virtues; with his name shine all three worlds; unparalleled in might is Anjani's son Hanuman; Rama's emissary Hanuman takes his devotees to him. He thus redeems from worldly difficulties as also from the cycle of birth and death and thus from the world itself. In the entire Hindu pantheon Hanuman is not only the most widely worshipped divinity but also has dedicated to him a far greater number of shrines than has even Rama, his master. He protects his devotees always and everywhere. He is their Kherapati, patron deity of the village, Ghatoria, protector of ghata – valleys, to include river crossings, descents, ascents, forts and village-boundaries, Balaji, protecting them from evil influences and maladies and driving away ghosts and evil spirits, and Bajaranga who is as strong and penetrating as vajra or thunder-bolt. The legendary courier of the herb Sanjivini that cured Lakshmana of his swoon, Hanuman's name is ever since the curer of all ailments. By uttering his name, which is by itself the supreme 'mantra', is dispelled evil, and by commemorating it is attained success in all walks of life. Except that in his animal form is seen supreme divinity enshrining – suggestive of cosmic unity and oneness of existence, no philosophy or dogmatism, and mysticism in the least, are associated with him. Easily pleased Hanuman does not allow evil to prevail wherever he has even his nominal presence. He accompanies his devotees wherever they go and like an impenetrable wall stands in between them and imminent misfortune. A contemporary work, the painting has been rendered on a large size canvas, measuring 38 by 50 inches, obviously conceived to cover a larger space and command by its glow ambience in its entirety. This imposing presence of the benevolent Hanuman will not only draw to it every eye but will also radiate a greater volume of divinity around and purge of evil the entire atmosphere.

Rama's servant and always on an errand – as his master's messenger, or for accomplishing a devotee's prayer, or to protect him, Hanuman is always in a posture of readiness. Hence in iconographic tradition his votive images are almost always in standing position and with his mace in hand, as if ready to rush and strike. Like Lord Ganesh, another divinity with animal head and largely diluted into folk tradition, Hanuman is hardly ever conceived in any other position except when part of a composition portraying him in Rama-durbar or with Rama, illustrating a text or legend, or otherwise. Like Ganesh, he neither dances, nor sits carefree or has a consort, or even a family to pass time with. Adhering to the tradition, the image of the great god has been drawn here in standing position. His image in this portrayal dually assures his devotees to be fear-free – by the gesture of his right hand and by his readiness to strike with his mace carried in his left hand if anything adverse comes in their way. The figure has been enshrined in an arched pavilion comprising carved decorative pillars on sides and pointed corbels and side spaces beautified with arabesques and inlay above. He is believed to have incarnated the sun-god Surya apart, one of the popular myths in regard to him is that when a child he swallowed the sun taking it for a ripe fruit. This transformed his body into vermillion red, the colour which defines his complexion in the painting here. The name of Shri Rama inscribed on his right hand suggests that it is from his master that he gains his power to protect his devotees. The artist has used actual gilded metal foils and semi-precious stones to define his crown, ornaments, borders of his loincloth and the mace that he carries. His face radiates into a blue halo, symbolic of cosmos, which his tail encircles suggesting that with his energies Hanuman pervades the entire universe.

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.

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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.