Love-longing Apsara

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

The tired maid, the prey of melancholy, toiling with herself, suspended her song, let her lyre slip upon her thigh and she found she was leaning upon it. In the heat of passion her feet faltered. Her love longing burst from her face and in its glow the innocent maid looked the beauty incarnate. A peacock, just a passer-by, looked at her and was as much in grief. The compassionate bird, in its effort to relieve her of her pain, danced to colours, rhythm and pace and in jubilation and ecstasy and coaxed and caressed her in many ways but nothing solaced the ailing maid. The bird then took her upon its back and brought her to a barren tree bereft of twigs, leaves and flowers but was still the home of loving couples of birds and was satisfied in its new role. Tree's head held high despite desertion cooled her agitating mind. She was as much moved by peacock's loving concern and as much by its vital touch. She felt longing for love was as much its part as were meeting and uniting.

This is the theme of a German ballad based on a local folk-lore. Irrespective of the fact whether the sculptor was acquainted with this theme or not, he brings the ballad to life in this magnificent statue of the beautiful 'Apsara'. The artist has blended with the theme of the ballad the Indian cult of mythical beauty perceived in the form of the celestial nymph known as 'Apsara'. To ballad's lyricism the artist has added the language of beauty which manifests in Apsara's celestial figure, unsurpassed in elegance, anatomical proportions, aesthetic visualisation and beauty of modeling. The artist has caught her seated on peacock's back under the barren tree. Different from the peacock of the ballad the peacock in the statue adopts more lively and direct methods of cooling her passion. The bird not only rocks maid's vulva, which by her very posture lies couched upon its ribbed bony back and excites her entire being by its strokes but also cools her passion by sucking her nipple. Different from ballad's maid the nymph of the statue is looking for more excitement and once it sends her into a trance-like state she closes her eyes and descends into herself for it is only there that the oceans of delight swell.

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.

Free Shipping. Delivered by to all international destinations within 3 to 5 days, fully insured.

---

Of Related Interest:

Apsaras (Batik Painting On Cotton)

Apsaras on Column Piece (South Indian Temple Wood Carving)

Celestial Nymphs - Apsaras (South Indian Temple Wood Carving)

Yakshi, The Celestial Dancer (South Indian Temple Wood Carving)

Yakshi (South Indian Temple Wood Carving)

Yaksas (Book)

Every Woman a Goddess: The Ideals of Indian Art (Article)

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.