Apsaras on Column Piece

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This wood piece with stone effects, the tough rendered tougher, creates absolute beauty and thereby supreme delight, the most tender of all human experiences and the tenderest of all ever created on earth. It echoes with the great aestheticism of India's temple art wherein sculpture blended with architecture to realise the highest form of art. This golden era of the great art began with Guptas of early India and almost ended with Chandelas of medieval days. Khajuraho temples are the apex of Chandelas' temple art and this piece has reflections of Khajuraho, though as much the emotionality of Gupta art and the precision and finesse of South Indian Chola bronzes. Every inch of Khajuraho temples, from plinth to tower and column to wall, has human figures, the temptingly beautiful maidens and youthful males, to populate it. This wood piece reproduces a member of the central column of a temple's 'Maha-mandapa', which usually has all its sides carved with beautiful lively figures.

This column piece has three youthful 'apsaras' and three parrots around it. The column has been conceived as the part of a tree trunk around which the artist has positioned his three figures. Parrots, a larger one and the other two smaller ones, are placed on stumps created by chopping its branches. All the three birds are mythically decorated and are charged with the same mood as is the entire piece. The larger one has its beak exactly directed to the nipple of the maiden busy in applying vermilion. It appears as if the bird would extend its beak and suck from her nipple. The other one, clasping the trunk with its wings, seems to be uniting in love with its counterpart, though the figure of the counterpart is only approximate.

The three 'apsaras', the maidens charged with brimming youth and inciting beauty, have very well defined sharp features - lotus-like eyes, oval faces, sharp noses, comely rounded chins, tempting lips, well shaped cheeks, proportionate necks, broad shoulders and impressively rising breasts. Their slender tall figures are highly proportionate. Their thin subdued waists as against their heavy thighs present a tempting contrast. The navels, supposed to incite in Indian Kamashashtra the irresistible sex passion, are exceptionally deep and eye catching. Their postures with multi-curves give extra projection to their hips and breasts and rhythmic elegance to their entire figures. Their spirally dressed hair further adorned by beaded ornaments are exceptionally beautiful. Each figure is a mound of gold of which the artist would not like to conceal any part. He has, hence, used no garments to cover their figures save a sash floating into air or trailing to ground or a girdle suspending from their waist upon their vulvas concealing but not rendering less fascinating their most distinctive private treasures.

All three 'apsaras' are delightfully adorning themselves obviously for uniting in love with their lords. One of them is applying 'mahavara', or lac to her feet. She is holding in her other hand the branch of the tree she is standing under. The other two are in the process of applying 'sindura', or vermilion on their foreheads. One has her hand above her head just upon the line dividing her hair and the other one has just picked the vermilion. In a less suited medium like the wood the artist has simply worked out a wonder of beauty.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.

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.