Catherine
Louis-Charles
October
7, 2017
Professor
Bomboy
HUM
101
Non-Western
Art Critique
Temple god
Artwork comes
in so many different forms, colors and varies from country to country and from
culture to culture. It represents different meanings that are unique to the region
of their origins. Many religions use art
to represent their beliefs. The
representations are presented in the form of statues, murals and paintings.
Same can be said for most of the many religions of India. One of the many religions, is call Hindu. Hindus worship numerous deities. The religion
has no historical founder that can be pin pointed to date. The most prominent deities from some of their
scriptures are: Brahma the creator of the world, Vishnu the preserver of the
world, and Shiva or Siva the destroyer of the world. In a temple (Vedaranyeswarar
temple) that is dedicated to lord Shiva in a town call Vedaranyam in Tamil
Nadu, India, resides an ancient wall painting of the three eyed and four armed
Hindu god Shiva balancing on one leg on top of an adversary. The fresco is called
“Lord Siva as Kala Samhara moorthy”.
The earliest ancient paintings of Hindu gods
are found on cave walls at Ajanta in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state of India, and in many temple walls in Kerala
which is located on the south-west coast of India. Most of these paintings date back as early as
the 2nd century BCE to as late as the 19th century
BCE. Most likely, the “Lord Siva as Kala
Samhara moorthy” painting was produced between the 15th and the 19th
century. “The traditional mural paintings of Kerala are a fine art of skill and
creative excellence. Most of the noted mural works of Kerala were done between
the 15th and 19th centuries. They bear a stamp of uniqueness in techniques used
and aesthetics” (Kerala 2017).
Though the painting has faded from
the ravages of time, it still possesses some of the vibrant yet warm colors and
depth it once radiated. The back ground has lost its luster and the white of
the plaster is abundantly visible. The use of natural pigments and vegetable
colors applied on dry plaster was the traditional style in which this artwork
was executed. The fact that it was done on dry plaster one can imagine the
texture to be rough but the fresco appears soft because of the warmness of the
colors. The union of flowing lines and the use of proper colors gives the
fresco a sublime appearance. The curvy dark lines present a sense of movement
of the subject. The deep rich color of
Shiva’s skin pops due to the lighter background color. The images are well adorned with gold on
their limbs as well as on their heads and on their attires. There is unity in
this fresco because the gods were fashioned in a spirited expression fitting of
their divinity. The use of the white streaks on the turquoise top of Shiva
seems to make it shimmer. The adversary Yama is painted in a deep indigo blue
and the details of his facial features are not as visible as Shiva’s. The
expression on Shiva’s face exudes malice and terror. The color use on his eyes
makes them stand out against the warm color of his face. The fresco conveys a
god who takes pleasure in inflicting pain to those who crosses him. The subject
appears to be in a dance pose a top his foe as is one of the Hindu mantras of
the dancing Shiva.
The story behind this painting is as
mythological as some of the most bizarre myths from the ancient Greeks. The
ancient fresco tells the story of a couple who were strong devotees of Shiva and
were blessed by the god with a gifted child, a boy. The child was to live until the age of
sixteen. The boy grew to be a very
strong sage of Shiva’s. The boy knew of
his short life. One day on the sixteen year the boy was meditating and praying
to Shiva. When suddenly, the god of death (Yama) came to collect his soul. For
his time has come. As Yama threw the
lasso to extract the boy’s soul from his body, the lasso simultaneously went
around the boy and the shrine of Shiva. Shiva immediately came to life and was very angry with Yama and pierce
him with his trident and killed death.
The other gods stepped down from heaven and pleaded with Shiva to
understand the mistake of having death dead. It would mean an imbalance on
earth if death isn’t around to do his job. A pacified Shiva brought death back
to life with the condition that the boy would never die or age. He is to roam
the earth forever doing as he pleases. The fresco painting on the temple wall
portrays how powerful Shiva is because Shiva conquered death. The Hindus
embrace stories such as this and worship at Shiva’s temples to gain blessings
from the god. “Followers of Lord Shiva consider that this powerful mantra evokes
the Shiva within human beings and removes the fear of death, liberating one
from Samsara – the cycle of death and rebirth, hence the name “Great
Death-conquering Mantra” (Awakening state, 2017)
Though the
story behind the fresco is interesting as most myths are, I find the fresco
itself, a bit strange if not scary. I’m
certain my reaction has something to do with my Christian influences but the
subject matter is creepy to me. The
technique and the vibrant beautiful colors do not escape my sense of admiration
for such raw talent. I appreciate the
conditions and the effort that went into producing such great art work. The
disturbing three eyed and four-armed figure makes for a horrific
nightmare. It just goes to show that
cultures do play a major role in art and its interpretation.
Works Cited
Limited, Alamy. “Stock Photo - Lord Siva as Kala
Samharamvrthy Wall Painting in Vedapureeswarar Temple at Vedaranyam ; Tamil
Nadu ; India.” Alamy,
www.alamy.com/stock-photo-lord-siva-as-kala-samharamvrthy-wall-painting-in-vedapureeswarar-temple-43166386.html.
“Om
Tryambakam Yajamahe - Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra Meaning.” Awakening State,
10 Jan. 2017, www.awakeningstate.com/spiritual-awakening/om-tryambakam-yajamahe-maha-mrityunjaya/.
“The tradition of Mural paintings in Kerala.” Kerala
Tourism, www.keralatourism.org/kerala-article/mural-paintings-kerala/549
Lord Siva as Kala Samharamvrthy 16th century wall paintings in Vedapureeswarar temple at Vedaranyam ; Tamil Nadu ; India
No comments:
Post a Comment