Krishna With His Bashful Beloved

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

Even the thick ropes that secure the swing are entwined with wounds of just-plucked flowers, probably placed there by Radha's gentle hands. A natural pool of azure water shimmers in the background, its narrow mud-laden banks leading up to a picturesque colonnade in the distance. Against such a lone-set, romantic background swings the divine couple, in all the beauty of elegantly contained affection.

So serene is their composure of countenance that the viewer guages at once how at home they are in each other's company, irridiscent with concern for one another's well-being. Radha's head fits snugly on Her Lord's shoulder. He gazes into her fair face, while She most bashfully averts His eyes. Their heads are so close together that His bejewelled crown seems to be one with her gold-and-pearls headband. The gorgeous peacock-feather crest of His crown glows against the singular halo that frames both their heads, lending the luxuriant greenery in the background an eerie glow. Note how the beautiful Radha is so careful as to place Her hand ever-so-slightly and gently beneath Krishna's on the swing, too shy to even touch Him of her own accord.

Decked up in an abundance of silks and brocades, the great personal beauty of the amorous deities sits well against the verdant background. Radha's purple saree has been draped modestly around her petite figure, the hem of the rose-red blouse delicately draped-over by the saree at the waist. Its ample train billowing out behind her legs as the swing motions forward, just like the strings of pearls around their necks and the Lord's crisp garland. A plethora of jewels grace their persons: delicate jhumke on both their earlobes, studded necklaces, His chunky amulet against the wide brocade of her sleeve, His wristlet against her bunch of soft gold bangles, His decidedly masculine kamarband next to the delicate strings of gold on her hips, the solid gold anklets on their tender feet. Note how the gajra on Radha's lush joora matches the garland round Lord Krishna's neck.

Oil painting technique – India centric

Oil painting is the most interesting technique in art. Unlike other paintings or art forms, oil painting is a process in which colored pigments are painted on the canvas with a drying oil medium as a binder. This medium helps colors blend beautifully to create layers and also makes them appear rich and dense. Several varieties of oil are used in this painting such as sunflower oil, linseed oil, etc., and depending on the quality of the oil, a particular consistency of the paint is developed. With the use of an oil medium, the painting gets a natural sheen on the surface which appears extremely attractive. India is famous for its old tradition of making oil paintings. This art form was brought by Europeans in the 18th century and is now practiced by almost all well-known artists. Nirmal, a small tribal town in the state of Telangana is the center of traditional oil paintings in India where the local people practice it with dedication. Most Indian artists still use the traditional technique of oil painting.

Canvas of the required size is prepared

The artists use either a wood panel or canvas made from linen or cotton. Sometimes the canvas is stretched onto the wooden frame to form a solid base, or cardboard may be used. The canvas is coated with a layer of white paint or chalk mixed with animal glue. This mixture is then smoothed and dried to form a uniform, textured surface. The wooden panel is more expensive and heavier but its solidity is an advantage in making detailed paintings with ease.

Sketch is drawn on the canvas

Now the artist starts to draw the subject of the painting on the canvas using the actual charcoal or a charcoal pencil. Sometimes, he may sketch with thinned paint as well.

Oil paint is applied using paint brushes or palette knives

Now that the rough sketch is prepared, the artist is now ready to paint. Oil paint, a special paint that contains particles of pigments suspended in a drying oil (usually linseed oil), is again mixed with oil to make it thinner for applying it on the canvas. Proper consistency of the paint is maintained to avoid its breakage. The most important rule for the application of oil paint is “Fat over lean” in which the first layer of paint is thin and later, thicker layers are applied. This means that each additional layer of paint contains more oil. This results in getting a stable paint film. Traditionally, paint was applied using paint brushes but now the artists also use palette knives to create crisp strokes. To paint using this technique, the edge of the palette knife is used to create textured strokes that appear different from that of a paintbrush. Sometimes, oil paints are blended simply using fingers for getting the desired gradation.

Smaller oil paintings, with very fine detail, are relatively easier to paint than larger ones. The most attractive feature of these paintings is the natural shiny appearance that is obtained on the surface because of the use of oil paint. The blending of colors looks extremely realistic and this is the reason why oil paintings are loved by everyone throughout the world.