Lord Krishna, Absorbed in Playing His Flute

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An example of perfect craftsmanship, even the smallest of beads set or wreathed into an ornament revealing absolute clarity and distinction, the figure of Krishna has been represented as fully absorbed in blowing his flute and in the ecstasy he fails to notice when his legs twist to its notes and move to a form of dance sending his entire figure into multi-curves, though strangely, despite such irregular anatomy the statue is unique in balancing the parts and in figural grace. It evolves as evolves a lyric in mind creating rhythm and breathing music’s softness. An ornament’s precision and beauty define its form, and a rivulet’s flow, the fluidity of its lines. The three-curved posture – Tri-bhanga ‘mudra’, the most often represented form of Krishna’s image tempting every eye by its beauty, is more often an aspect of his Benu-Gopala manifestation, perhaps because it is the melody of his flute that twists his legs and the entire figure.

For the artist, Krishna is Vishnu; he hence conceives Krishna’s figure Vishnu-like with four arms, upper two, holding in them ‘chakra’ – disc, and ‘shankha’ – conch, and with the lower, blowing his flute; and in this model he surpasses Vishnu for while Vishnu employs his all four hands in holding instruments of war, for protecting his devotees or eliminating their tormenters, Krishna accomplishes this objective with just two, employing other two for redeeming them from the worldly bonds and for their transcendence. Beauty of form born either of music, dance, ‘bhava’ or divine grace, are Krishna’s instruments of redeeming, not Vishnu’s.

It is just for a little elevation that the image of Lord Krishna has been installed on a moderately conceived ‘pitha’ or pedestal. It comprises conventionalised lotus motifs. Lord Krishna is wearing a beautifully surging antariya and as beautiful a sash unfurling on either side. He has on his waist a broad beautifully designed and cast girdle with delightfully designed ornamental laces and frills suspending from it. Most attractive component of his ornaments is his thickly wreathed flower-garland. Some ornament or other, each gracefully designed and revealing a kind of unearthliness, adorns his figure from toe to head. Another component of his adornment that fascinates by its rare beauty is his crown and halo, both beautifully conceived and carved. Sharp feature, round face and a balanced anatomy define his form. The artist has treated his figure with emotional concern. It is exceptional in modeling, plasticity, anatomical balance, in revealing divine aura and in everything that imparts beauty.

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.