Lord Vishnu’s Descent from Vaikuntha

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In Vaishnava myths innumerable are the occasions when Vishnu, summoned by one devotee or the other, rushed from Vaikuntha to protect him. One of the better known among them relates to the child Dhruva, the other, to redemption of Gajendra, the king of elephants, from the jaws of deadly crocodile, and yet another, to child Prahlad, though in the Prahlad-myth his emergence was as Narsimha : his half-man-half-lion incarnation. Dhruva, a child in early years, insulted by his step-mother, resorts to rigorous penance to end it only when Lord Vishnu appears in person, or to end his life by jumping into the chasm on the top of which he was doing penance. When about to jump into it Lord Vishnu rushed to protect Dhruva’s life. Except that the position of the mace does not have much relevance to his myth Vishnu’s descent could be well interpreted in context of Dhruva.

However, the event could more appropriately be a stage in the Gajendra-moksha myth. Once when sporting in the lotus lake, Gajendra irritated a mighty crocodile inhabiting the lake and wielded its authority over the lake’s water. The enraged crocodile caught hold of Gajendra by grabbing one of its legs and began dragging it under the lake’s waters. Trapped in the dreadful jaws of the crocodile Gajendra wrestled to free its leg but despite all its strength applied it failed; instead, the grip of crocodile’s piercing teeth was further tightened causing unbearable pain. The elephant king cried for help but fearing the displeasure of the crocodile none from its herd came forward. When almost to drown and die, the elephant recalled the services that its clan had always rendered to Lord Vishnu, especially his consort Lakshmi. As it struck to its mind, the elephant king plucked a lotus from the lake and raising it towards the sky like an offering to him the animal prayed its Master Lord Vishnu for its release. No sooner he heard the prayer than riding his mount Garuda Vishnu rushed for the animal’s rescue.

The blue-bodied figure of Lord Vishnu is carrying in his four hands his most usual attributes, the disc, conch, mace and lotus. With the lotus-holding normal left hand, Lord Vishnu seems to support his figure on the bird’s back. With his left leg lying suspending, and right, stretched over the neck of the Great Bird, he seems to be seated in a posture much like ‘lalitasana’. Besides his towering crown, a broad neck-ornament with a large pendant embedded with a large ruby and a necklace of pearls, diamond-kundalas – ear-ornaments, girdle, wrists’ and arms’ ornaments, he is putting on a magnificent garland of fresh blue lotuses. Slightly deviating from the tradition, instead of ‘Pitambara’ – yellow ‘antariya’, he is putting on a saffron lower wear, a waist-band in magenta and a transparent lemon yellow sash. His figure has been conceived with a round face, well defined features and enchanting eyes, the same as he had when he transformed into Vishwa-Mohini – the Enchantress of the World, for defeating demons. The self-contented Great Bird with the divine composure on its face and beautifully combed feathers has been conceived and rendered most beautifully and with a child-like affectionate concern.

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.