Large Size Celestial Dancer Putting on Bells on Feet

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Whatever the size of the image, its life-like vigorous beauty inclines the eye to believe that the damsel shall eject and would begin dancing any moment. Every form and detail has been so carefully and precisely carved, and life breathed into, that it becomes difficult to believe that what stands transformed into a celestial anatomy is an ordinary log of wood. The statue combines the skills and arts of jeweller and aesthetician, one endowing it with gold ornament-like finesse and details, and the other, its unique figure, perfect proportions, all her bewitching charms and transcendental beauty. Temple-walls at Khajuraho, Konark and many other places have sculptures with identical theme, great plasticity and rare beauty; however, being a subsequent work and with other models and ideals of beauty in perception, this wood-piece marks a subtle improvement over its stone and metal counterparts.

As ordained by ancient masters of Shilpa-shashtra – aesthetics and iconography, the artist of this wood-relief seems to have had in mind that beauty did not confine to mere face but enshrined the entire figure, poise, gesture, curves, emotional bearing and the total anatomy. He also seems to have had in mind the traditionally venerated standards of feminine beauty : voluminous hips, subdued waist and far more subdued belly, rounded well-protruding breasts contained by a beautifully worked ‘stana-patta’ – breast-band, tall slender figure, bow-like arched eye-brows, large emotionally charged eyes, a sharp nose, small alluring lips cradling a mind smile on then, round face with glowing cheeks and well aligned chin, long fingers and nails and well-defined neck. The artist has modeled his dancer in exact pursuance of these high parameters of beauty.

A perfect anatomy apart, greater beauty reveals in the figure’s poise : in her act of putting on her anklet, which delightfully twists her entire figure : the left hip protruding and the right recessing; lean belly tilting to right creating on the left a crescent-like semi-circular form with the left breast forming its upper ridge; and, the breasts : focal point of the entire sculpture, fascinatingly moulded and brilliantly clad as they are, dominating the figure’s total anatomy. The face is tilted a little to her left aligning to diagonally angled arms, and this rhythm of arms and face descends with alike thrust also into the legs and the pleats of ‘antariya’ that covers them.

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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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.