The Enrapt Flute Player: Krishna as Vishnu

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Theology perceives Krishna as Vishnu’s incarnation but traditions of art have for them both different sets of iconography barring things like body colour. This statue blends both sets, though with greater focus on Vishnu-related aspects its primary emphasis seems to be on representing Krishna as a mere transform of Vishnu, or primarily as his incarnation. This form of Krishna, iconographic vision, style of eyes, figure’s ornamentation and the overall ambience, lotus ‘pitha’ – seat, attendants, ‘prabhavali’ – fire-arch, among other things, reveal Orissa influence where Krishna is not seen as one of the incarnations of Vishnu but Vishnu himself, more popularly, Jagannatha – the Supreme Lord of the world. This apart, the artist seeks to continue with Krishna’s humanistic aspects. Umbrella of tree with birds perching over it and absence of halo – an essential feature of classical Vaishnava imagery and other attributes revealing majesty strengthen the image’s Krishna connection.

As suggests the absorption in eyes and on the face of the image, while blowing his pipe Krishna could not know when his legs moved to dance and the entire figure twisted to its notes. Entranced by what he has himself created, this form of Krishna, or Vishnu, reveals the aggregate of Vaishnava mysticism : He, Who Himself is the Creator of Maya, the manifest world, is as much the Maya’s slave. The divine ecstasy, which his flute creates, leaves the flute player transformed into a rhythmic trance. Now from his face and figure reveals the divine bliss, a blend of contentment, rapture, and grace.

Fine execution, not merely of the divine image or human figures in attendance but also the floral arabesque symbolic of both, the fire-arch as well as the tree under which he stands, sensitive treatment of the subject, perfect balance, anatomical and between various parts, a feeling of absorption and emotional bearing on the face impart to the artifact unique artistic merit and a distinction of its own. A non-resistant medium like wood which even a gentle stroke of chisel damages, in discovering forms – facial features or linear details, it reveals stone’s toughness, precision and accuracy, finest forms, minutest details, calligraphic contours, and fluidity of lines. The viewing eye discovers its magic in the rhythm with which the figure of the enrapt Krishna curves, the head with crown tilts to right, the shoulders, to left, the hips, to right, the left knee, to left, and finally, the upwards raised left foot, to right.

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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Sculpting Serenity: Unveiling the Art of Crafting Wood Statues

Wood has been a preferred material for sculptures and statues since ancient times. It is easy to work with than most metals and stones and therefore requires less effort to shape it into any desired shape or form. The texture of the wood gives an element of realism to the sculpture. The selection of an appropriate wood type is necessary for carving. Woods that are too resinous or coniferous are not considered good for carving as their fiber is very soft and thus lacks strength. On the other hand, wood such as Mahogany, Oakwood, Walnut wood, Weet cherry wood, etc., are preferred by sculptors because their fiber is harder. A wood sculptor uses various tools such as a pointed chisel in one hand and a mallet in another to bring the wood to the desired measurement and to make intricate details on it. A carving knife is used to cut and smooth the wood. Other tools such as the gouge, V-tool, and coping saw also serve as important tools in wood carving. Although the wood carving technique is not as complex and tough as stone carving or metal sculpting, nonetheless, a wood carver requires a high level of skills and expertise to create a stunning sculpture.

1. Selecting the right wood

The process of wood carving begins with selecting a chunk of wood that is required according to the type and shape of the statue to be created by the sculptor. Both hardwoods and softwoods are used for making artistic pieces, however, hardwoods are preferred more than softer woods because of their durability and longevity. But if heavy detailing is to be done on the statue, wood with fine grain would be needed as it would be difficult to work with hardwood.

2. Shaping the wood

Once the wood type is selected, the wood carver begins the general shaping process using gouges of various sizes. A gouge is a tool having a curved cutting edge which is useful in removing large unwanted portions of wood easily without splitting the wood. The sculptor always carves the wood across the grain of the wood and not against it.

3. Adding detailing

When a refined shape of the statue is obtained, it is time for making details on the statue using different tools. This is achieved by using tools such as a veiner to make and a V-tool to create decorative and sharp cuts.

4. Surface finishing

Once finer details have been added, the sculptor is ready to smoothen the surface and give it a perfect finish. Tools such as rasps and rifflers are used to get a smooth surface. The finer polishing is obtained by rubbing the surface with sandpaper. If a textured surface is required, this step is skipped. Finally, to protect the statue from excessive dirt accumulation, the sculptor applies natural oils such as walnut or linseed oil all over it. This also brings a natural sheen to the statue.