Union of Kali and Shiva: A Tantrika Vision

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The ‘mukha-ling’ iconography suggests merely that Shiva in his symbolic ‘ling’ form is the same as in his anthropomorphic form. This form of ‘ling’ with Kali’s face merged with it as just its aspect is widely different from the ‘mukha-ling’ icon. Except that her face, not ‘yoni’ – her usual form in Shiva-ling icons, has been used to represent her this representation denotes the union of two : Shiva and Shakti. As Shiva in his anthropomorphic form and ‘ling’ form is the same, Kali is also both, phenomenal and epiphenomenal. In one way she is the Shiva’s power to create and dissolve, in the other, his companion. During dissolution all forms merge into her and during creation all forms emerge out of her, and in that case the Darkest One, Kali, is the formless colourless all-pervading void.

This is broadly the Tantrika vision of the Creation. A Tantrika considers Creation as the outcome of the union of Shiva and Shakti – Shiva as ‘ling’ and Shakti as ‘chit’ – cosmic Mind, though while in the Tantrika way ascendance to ‘chit’ : the apex, is begun with ‘yoni’ which constitutes ‘Muladhara’ – the basis in Tantra-sadhana – Tantrika practices, this art-piece conceives the goddess as the face where the Mind or ‘chit’ enshrines, obviously the ultimate of the journey that take off from ‘yoni’. Whether as ‘chit’ or as ‘yoni’ by her union with Shiva, who is the cosmic ‘ling’, Shakti overwhelms him with the desire to create and the two conjointly effect Creation.

A medallion consisting of concentric circles, outer-most being a broader one comprising lotuses, constitutes the centre of the painting. The medallion enshrines a form of blue complexioned Kali who except for her lolling tongue and a necklace of human bones and skull is in her sublime creative aspect known in Kali’s iconography as her Bhadrakali form. A round face with pearls-like teeth, eyes hued in red, not denoting ferocity but amour, radiant face, beautifully laid hair and well defined features, besides the vermillion mark on hair-parting, all suggest that possessed with the desire to create she has completely submitted her to Shiva and her union with him is absolute.

Now the process of Creation has begun. The first circle, pale yellow, around her represents formless void. From it radiate two circles representing light and darkness, and correspondingly, the day and the night. And, finally, there is the lotus-ring representing three cosmic zones : the earth, the sky and ocean which lotus singly symbolises. On the top of the ‘ling’ icon is inscribed the sacred syllable AUM : condensation of all noises and all sounds. The rest of the space is covered mainly with inverted and upright triangles, the inverted symbolising ‘yoni’, and upright, ‘ling’, and their interaction, coition and creation. Squares, in which form the two triangles inseparably join, also denote multiplication of Shiva-Shakti union, and thus the incessancy of the act of creation – a reflection of Shiva’s desire ‘Ekoham bahushyami’ – I am One but wish to multiply: the Shaivite doctrine to which Tantrikas show greater adherence.

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.

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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.