The Most Important Moment in a Woman's Life (Hamsa Damayanti)

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

It is the swan that enabled the handsome Indian King, Nal, to unite with the love of his life, Damayanti. He was out hunting on the palace grounds and had chanced upon a swan. The swan begged the King to let it go, and gave him its word that it would fly straightaway to the loveliest of ladies and persuade her to become his. A fascinated Nal let the swan go, which - true to its word - flew across his kingdom to Damayanti. This painting depicts the beautiful Damayanti in commune with the fateful swan that suffused her dreaming and waking thoughts with Nal, flying back and forth between them till he married her and made her his queen.

The painting, inspired by Raja Ravi Verma's unconventional portrayal of women and nature, captures the most important moment of a woman's life - when she learns of and falls in love with the man destined to be hers. The mystical swan had swum across her pond, the lotuspads caught in its feet having been strung up the pillar as it settled atop the same. Damayanti had climbed down the steps leading to the pond in order to greet the irresitibly charming creature. She pauses right before the swan and gazes at it with the greatest wonder, her stance pensive yet carefree in terms of worldly concerns. The swan is about to close its pristine feathers around its slight body. Note how the twin pillars add balance and wholeness to the entire composition.

Damayanti's otherworldly beauty is not lost on those who gaze upon her. Her attire is distinguished, almost regal. A flowing red saree draped in Southern style around her lissome body, the gold booties sparkling in the outdoor light. The intricately brocaded border of the kapdaa complements the brocade on her matching blouse, a similar tint of pink as the rose in her bun. Her jet black tresses have been parted in the middle, as has traditionally been the norm, and gathered in a plump bun resting on the nape of her softly shadowed neck. Her dainty jhumke (Indian-style danglers) have the same golden resplendence as the rest of her jewels - the pearls around her neck, chunky bangles and anklets, and the meenakari rings around her fingers and even her toes. Do not miss the exquisite emeralds on each of her ornaments, setting off the hint of green that graces the brocade. She is wearing a bunch of green glass bangles, which are considered auspicious in this part of the world.

As fashionably as the lovely Damayanti is dressed, there is no denying the pensiveness in her stance. Clearly, she is enraptured by the swan's persuasive outpourings and her womanly imagination has been sparked. Her lusciously lined eyes seem to be looking beyond the swan, into the depths of the lotuspond, probably conjuring up an image of the man to whom she is destined to belong. Her shoulders have drooped ever so delicately as her mind plunges deeper into thoughts of Nal. The groves surrounding her home roll into the distance in the background, adding to the depth of the composition.

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.