Sensuous Image of an Apsara

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

This perception of the 'female' in India's sculptural art almost idealised the portrayal of female form – her iconography and anatomy; and hence, whatever the context or medium, wherever an Indian sculptor carved the figure of a woman – on a temple wall, door-jamb, or in a pleasure-garden of a prince, he conceived her as brimming with youth, beauty and life-vigour. It is not hence strange that sculptors, or even painters of Ajanta and Ajanta-type murals, portrayed thousands of female figures in ancient as well as medieval India, but in them there are hardly a few that reveal age and wrinkles. Thus, instead of creating an individual, Indian sculptor and painter created a model – a model of paramount beauty. This feminine world of Indian art so occupied its artist through ages that he perceived in her form only beauty – intrinsic or external, and warmth of youth and emotions.

This ages long aesthetic perception of Indian art seems to have occupied the mind of the artist when he was working on this piece. Hence, whatever its date, the statue belongs to and represents the classical tradition of India's art. Had it been in stone and without such embellishment as could be carved only in wood-like less hard medium, this statue could well be mistaken as one from Khajuraho. It has same modelling quality, plasticity, beauty of form, iconographic and anatomical precision, emotional bearing and sensuousness, and adherence to classical norms, as have Khajuraho sculptures. Khajuraho has its counterpart – a similar damsel looking into a mirror, but in this statue, wood has allowed the artist to carve around the figure a rich beautiful 'prabhavali' consisting of conventionalised banana creeper with birds perching on it, and fine details of anatomy and ornaments, which stone would have hardly allow to be carved on it. Two tiny figures of female attendants on the foot of the 'prabhavali' on both sides is perhaps the most interesting element added to the theme. One of them, on the left, has a monkey clinging to her with one of its hands holding her left breast. Monkey is considered as the most sexy creature. Hence, monkey's presence adds further thrust to the sensuous aspect of the theme.

The figure of the 'apsara' has been installed on a 'pitha' comprising two slabs of conventionalised designs. She is in a three-curved posture, which beautifully protrudes her left hip. The posture as beautifully twists her belly and projects her breasts. She inclines a little towards left for looking into the mirror but in the process her face turns into semi-profile, which better reveals the sharpness of her features and over-all beauty of face. The elaborately bejewelled damsel is almost nude except loins covered by a frilled ornament or cloth designed with frills and beads. Her well-dressed hair have been adorned with a beautiful head-ornament.

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.

Free Shipping. Delivered by to all international destinations within 3 to 5 days, fully insured.

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.