Goddess Lakshmi with Auspicious Elephant

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Name: Goddess Lakshmi with Auspicious Elephant
Brand: Exotic India
SKU: OS28
Price: 275.00 USD
Availability: InStock

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Item Code:	OS28
Specifications:	Oil on Canvas with 24 Karat Gold
Dimensions	22.0 inches X 34.0 inches

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Gaja-Lakshmi is Lakshmi’s most represented form in art. It is as massively worshipped. Lakshmi with ‘gajas’ – elephants, flanking on either side is her form as Gaja-Lakshmi. It is, indeed, a form of her in art. The Rig-Vedic Shri-Sutra alludes to elephants in context to Shri but it is only to assert Shri’s immense power. When describing how the image of Lakshmi with elephants performing sacred ablution magnifies the beauty of lintel on the gate of Ravana’s mansion (Valmiki Ramayana, Sundar-kanda, 7, 14), the Ramayana alludes to Lakshmi’s Gaja-Lakshmi form, and is perhaps the earliest to do so. However, the text only describes linguistically a visual image sculpted on it. Lakshmi’s earliest reported forms in visual arts manifest in the 3rd century B. C. Sanchi reliefs. Not merely that these forms of Lakshmi have elephants associated with them, these elephants have been carved with the same amount of reverence as Lakshmi, an essential feature of Gaja-Lakshmi principle. As alluded to in the Ramayana, elephants in the Sanchi and Bharhut reliefs are performing sacred ablution of the goddess, perhaps with milk brought from the mythical Kshirasagara – the ocean of milk, in the pots of gold held in their trunks. Elephants’ association with Lakshmi-images has been a regular feature of Lakshmi’s iconography ever since. The upper north-east chamber of Kuwwat-ul-Islam Mosque at Qut'b complex, New Delhi, has in late Gupta art style a sculpture representing elephants flanking the image of Lakshmi. The sculpted stone-block was once the part of some early temple the material of which was re-used in constructing the mosque.

This oil painting visualizes Goddess Lakshmi as a tall and slender female, standing on a full-blown lotus emerging from a sacred and scenic lake . Behind her on one side is an auspicious white elephant carrying a garland of flowers in its trunk. The goddess has four hands. The main right one showers gold coins, while the left makes the gesture of blessing. The rest two carry lotuses. Her deep red sari has a wide gold border, and several precious jewels grace her divine person. Far behind her can be seen picturesque waterfalls, and also a Devi temple on a hill, fluttering atop with a victory flag.

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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.

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