10th Century Chola Dynasty (India), Shiva Nataraja (Shiva Lord of the Dance)My knowledge of Asian Art is nowhere near as good as my knowledge of Western Art but I do find Indian/Hindu sculpture fascinating. The compositions are particularly graceful and it's interesting how every sculture can be read through the symbolism seen in objects, pose and hand gesture.
Representing the cycle of destruction and creation, Shiva Nataraja depicts Shiva dancing in a ring of fire while stomping on the dwarf of ignorance, Apasmara. Reading clockwise, his top left hand holds fire meaning destruction, the front left hand points points to the raised foot (when the foot hits the ground, the world will end!). The front right hand is the abhayamudra representing comfort, while the back left hand holds a drum that will lead to the (re)creation of the world.
Cast using the 'lost wax method', Shiva Nataraja is a popular subject in Indian sculpture and I think every gallery I've visited that has an Asian Art section contains at least one Shiva Nataraj. It also appears in Indian painting and dancing.
Representing the cycle of destruction and creation, Shiva Nataraja depicts Shiva dancing in a ring of fire while stomping on the dwarf of ignorance, Apasmara. Reading clockwise, his top left hand holds fire meaning destruction, the front left hand points points to the raised foot (when the foot hits the ground, the world will end!). The front right hand is the abhayamudra representing comfort, while the back left hand holds a drum that will lead to the (re)creation of the world.
Cast using the 'lost wax method', Shiva Nataraja is a popular subject in Indian sculpture and I think every gallery I've visited that has an Asian Art section contains at least one Shiva Nataraj. It also appears in Indian painting and dancing.
1 comment:
OK, clearly the galleries you've been visiting are not in India. :D
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