Large Size Dhenu-Venu Gopal under Kadamba and around Mount Govardhana

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Two independent sets of imagery when combined, the statue represents Krishna playing on his flute seated on the top of Mount Govardhana close to a tree symbolic of the mythical Kadamba, and hearing the melody emitting from his flute the cows are drawn to him. Not a narration or moving episode, even a static picture with such wider dimensions : any number of cows, Mount Govardhana along with the image of Krishna in ‘tri-bhanga’ or ‘utkut akasana’ playing on his flute and the Kadamba tree, a Pichhawai or a painting could paint it in full but a wooden plaque with 5-6 inches thickness and limited breadth could not. A rare application of mind, the wood-carver used the plaque’s verticality – length, the only dimension usable with some degree of freedom, for portraying the picture in full by dividing it into two parts, in one highlighting Krishna’s image and cow, and in the other, Mount Govardhana and the Kadamba, other aspects being subdued. The artifact is thus a rare example of illustrating the stretch of a single act or static picture, not an act or episode occurring in a series, using technique of serializing a theme into steps.

The upper compartment portrays Lord Krishna playing enrapt on his flute. Though he is himself producing it, its melody seems to melt into his blood twisting every part of his body into divine rhythm making his figure curve triply giving his posture a three-curved – ‘tri-bhanga’ form. Hearing the melody a cow, symbolic of all cows of Vraja, rushes to him and enrapt looked at his face. Mystically interpreted, the cow represents the individual self separated from the Supreme Self that Krishna manifests. Completely devoted to him the cow is yearning to re-unite. Mystically with his three curves he is believed to pervade all three cosmic regions or universes. The image of Krishna along with the figure of cow, conjointly the individual self and the Supreme Self, enshrine a floral arch : ‘prabhavali’, symbolic of the manifest universe that the individual self occupies and the Supreme Self pervades.

The bottom compartment represents a smaller form of Krishna playing on his flute. Now ‘utkut akasana’, a sitting posture, has replaced ‘tri-bhanga’, his posture in upper compartment. He has been represented as seated on the top of the pile of identical rocks obviously symbolising Mount Govardhana. Just adjacent to the Mount on its back there seem to be seated a pair of cows with their faces turned into diagonally opposite directions. Further behind the cows there stands a large tree with branches extending from one edge to the other. With a round face revealing a child’s face-like tenderness and innocence, golden complexion, a potted belly as children usually have and a tassel of peacock feather the iconography of Krishna appears to be decisively influenced by Krishna’s Tanjore image. The artist has used a set of mouldings carved with conventionalized lotus patterns for the base and a lotus moulding for divining the two compartments of the artifact.

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.