Venugopal with Radha

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The artist has carved five parrots – the bird often symbolizing self in Indian tradition and adorning most of the auspicious graphics and symbolic formations, as part of the elegantly sculptured prabhavali, the fire-arch. Two of the five parrots have been carved on the upper side of Krishna's figure, while the other three on Radha's. The parrots on Krishna's side have the celestial fruit – a banana-bud like thing, not only within their reach but they rather feed on it. Their bliss is absolute. The parrots on Radha's side – gopis, the wandering ones, yearn passionately to reach such one but only wander into wilderness. The leaves, twigs, or even a flower that one of them, obviously Radha, is able to reach and touch, are bereft of fruition. The artist suggests that as of gopis' so of parrots', the passion has yet to sublimate before it is allowed to merge with the Supreme Self.

This analogy is revealed in other forms also – in ambience, which prabhavali comprises, and postures of the figures of Krishna and Radha. Krishna has his right foot set onto the earth but it has forward thrust. It does not tend towards Radha, the worldly self. His left foot is lifted, emitting its glow to all three cosmic regions. Radha's feet, whether the raised one or other, are directed towards Krishna. Krishna's face has celestial bhava, bearing. Radha has similar intensity of bhava, but it does not reveal Krishna-like detachment. The Prabhavali defines Krishna's ambience. On his side, nature –the principal component of the prabhavali, rises upwards, but it draws downwards when it reaches over Radha, as she is attached to the earth; Krishna is beyond attachment. Besides, the two-armed Krishna – with Vishnu-like towering crown, tilaka, garland of Parijata flowers and lotus, is more Vaishnavite. So is Radha. Besides gopis' usual pot, she holds in one of her hands a lotus, and has her right foot on another.

The statue is unique in its artistic quality. Features of the figures – sharp nose, emotionally charged large eyes, shapely cheeks terminating into a small but well defined chin, cute lips, and glowing faces; elegant jewellery – necklaces, garlands, girdles, ear-rings, anklets, bracelets and bangles; pleasant anatomy – tall slender figures with Krishna's three-curves and Radha's passionate bearing, Radha's elegantly modelled breasts, narrow waist, deep navel and heavy hips, and Krishna's easefulness; and the entire prabhavali – foliage, fruits, flowers, birds, and the lotus pedestal, its base; all are rendered with a jeweller's precision, minuteness and details. Krishna is playing on his flute – venu. The wood is not capable of revealing the rasa, delight of mind, that the flute emits but the bhava on Krishna's face communicates that its music has entranced the entire world. Radha carries a pot, which, as gopi, is her essence. It feeds flesh – passion, but only to elevate, which the lotus, which she carries in her other hand, symbolises. The artist has rendered Krishna as Venugopal replacing cows with Radha.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of ancient Indian literature. Dr Daljeet is the chief curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the National Museum of India, New Delhi. They have both collaborated on numerous books on Indian art and culture.

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.