Lord Vishnu on Sheshasanaga

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However, the form of Shesh coiling like a circular podium and Vishnu seated over its coils in ‘lalitasana’, as in this statue, is somewhat foreign to Vishnu-Shesh iconography or is at least a late innovation. This form, too, has mystic dimensions but the set of symbols that it uses are widely different. Four coils of the serpent Shesh that Lord Vishnu enshrines are symbolic of four directions, and the hood, of the region above, that is, Vishnu has been represented in this statue as commanding all spaces and all directions as Shiva is believed to do in his Sadashiva or Pancha-mukha – five-faced manifestation. This form of Vishnu is unusual for other reasons too. Except a few ‘Yogasana’ images portraying Vishnu as Yoga-murti, his seated images are only rare. ‘Lalitasana’, a posture with right leg laid downwards suspending, and the left, horizontally from left to right along the seat’s length revealing great beauty, as in this statue, is not the bearing of the World’s Commander that Vishnu essentially is. Engaged in an act or in rest, Vishnu’s images are conceived usually either as standing or as reclining.

This four-armed image of Vishnu carrying all characteristic attributes : ‘chakra’ – disc, ‘shankha’ – conch, ‘gada’ – mace and ‘padma’ – lotus, in his hands, represents Vishnu’s most accomplished vision. Besides carrying disc and conch in his upper right and left hands and mace in the lower left, the lower right hand, apparently held in ‘abhaya’, carries lotus too on its palm. In tune with ‘lalitasana’ the mace is held with great ease, almost casually. Unlike instruments of war disc and conch are highly stylised almost like formal symbols, or decorative artifacts. Whatever the myths in regard to his exploits against demons, on his face there enshrines only divine quiescence, and in his entire being, great benevolence.

Unique in plasticity and modeled with perfect anatomical proportions the figure of Lord Vishnu reveals a kind of feminineness. He has sharp features, three-fourth shut lotus-eyes, a well-defined forehead and round face, all modeled after best of iconographic traditions. Not in blue, the mythical colour of his body, the artist has conceived his figure in glistening gold. His ‘antariya’ – lower-wear, waist-band, sash, ‘udara-pata’ – belly-band, crown and Vaijayanti – large garland sometimes consisting of frills of brilliant textiles, and ornaments, all have been conceived with red, green and gold. Even the body-colour of Shesh, usually the greyish black, has been endowed with gold’s lustre.

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.