Reviving an old image of devotion

My mother's handwork from 80+ years ago, clicked with Vivo. 

Adjusted with Snapseed. 

What ChatGPT could do. 👌 

My final touch. 

True art - challenging the senses

Mysticism teaches us that this wonderful creation is our Maker's play. I share here two pictures that shows man is creating art much like his Maker.

This is the grave of the legendary Russian dancer Rudolph Nureyev in Paris. There no cloth, but it is an artwork created from tiny mosiac tiles! Yes! The artiste is the Italian, Ezio Frigerio.

And now see this flower bed, depicting an elephant! 

PS: Perplexity Pro tells me this is a digital AI generated image 😢

Moksha Shiva

 

This image of Nataraja fascinated me. It is apparently found in some modern iconography and it is not in any traditional temple sculpture. 

It is called in Tamil, "Thaali Keel Thandavam". 

Shiva is shown balancing on his left upper hand placed on Apasmara. He holds fire in his left lower hand, a Damaru in his right lower hand, and has the Abhaya mudra in His right upper hand. The feet are fully raised in a classic inverted pose. 

It has been interpreted as a pose showing how we can attain Moksha by defying bondage. I am sure some Chinese gymnast will do this soon in America has got Talent! 

Rangoli

What is Art?

This picture from exactly 10 years ago has the following. 

The Murano glass plate - a marvel of artistic imaginatiion and craftamanship piecing together so many chunks of molten coloured glass famous from the Venitian island. (2005)

The table below is the rosewood 3-legged table with ivory-like inlay famous from Mysore. (2002)

The elephant is the famous Thrissur Elephant carved so perfectly as to show how the elephant always watches his front foot toe.(1996)

The cashmir shawl is from the Ali Joo shop behind Taj Mahal Hotel, Bombay (1990}.

What is Art? The mirror in our mind reflecting God's creative intelligence that is always on! 

हरिः ॐ तत् सत् 

Rangoli

Nataraja!

We need to understand the iconography of deities always at three levels: 1 Mythology 2. Metaphysical symbolism 3. Aesthetics. There is perhaps no end to possible interpretations of such a glorious image!

Legend ( provided by Rshankar of Rasikas.org):

The iconography of Siva as natarAja is rather complex and here's some of what I've understood.

Siva is depicted as holding a battle axe (mazhu), a deer (mAn), a ball of fire, and a damaru in his hands, with a cobra for a garland, and tiger-skin as his lower garment.

All of these were invoked from the sacrificial fire by the 3000 (tritIya sahasra) ascetics (dIkshta) of the taDavana of cidambaram and thrown at the sky-clad (digambara - in other words, naked) youth that had the rishi-patnis following him. They did not realize that it was Siva who had come to teach them the error of their ways. He grabs the cobra and uses it as a garland, the deer with sharp horns is tamed and held in his hand, as are the battle-axe, the ball of fire, and the damaru - as Siva rattled the damaru, all the languages of the world emerged (vAcikam sarva vAngmayam), and he kills the tiger, skins it, and covers his lower body. The final assault from the ascetics comes in the form of an evil dwarf called muyalakan - Siva subdues him and dances on his back - and as he does that, the amazed ascetics realize their folly and lose their ego and ignorance and become enlightened- so the dwarf symbolizes ignorance and by dancing on him, Siva destroys ignorance.

Another aspect to the iconography is the reference to the five elements (panca bhUta):

He holds the fire

The gangA symbolizes water

His long locks capture the wind/air

His feet are on the dwarf who rests on the earth

The moon symbolizes the sky/ether.

***

Nature and Art: When a fish makes art.

There is much discussion of what art truly means, and how man differentates himself, vastly, from all other creation, by his assiduous working on all forms of art.

Can an animal make art? Can a fish make a sand sculpture? Watch this:



The video is mind-blowing. Didn't we say, long back in the Bhagavatam, that God manifested himself as the fish, or Matsya? And that he resurrected the Vedas. So not only knowldege, but even art, was known to the fish. As seen in this artwork of the humble pufferfish.
And that is why we see birds making song, trees making wondrous flowers, the sky arranging clouds in a wonderful origami. And butterflies, peacocks, kingfishers....

And Krishna says in the Bhagavadgita (vedabase.com) :


Bg 18.61

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

Word for word:

īśvaraḥ — the Supreme Lord; sarva-bhūtānām — of all living entities; hṛt-deśe — in the location of the heart;arjuna — O Arjuna; tiṣṭhati — resides; bhrāmayan — causing to travel; sarva-bhūtāni — all living entities; yantra— on a machine; ārūḍhani — being placed; māyayā — under the spell of material energy (or His creative energy).

Translation:

The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy (or His creative energy).

Milind Nayak's Painting

ನೀರ ಹನಿಯು ನಡುಗಿ ನಿಲಲು
ಹೂವು ಅದನು ಕಂಡು ನಗಲು
ತಂಪು ಗಾಳಿ ಬೀಸುತಿರಲು
ಮಂದ ರವಿಯ ಬೆಳಕು ಬರಲು
ಕುಂಚದಿಂದ ಮೂಡಿಬಂದ ಈ ಚೆಲುವ
ಮನವ ಸೆಳೆವ ಮಕರಂದ ತರುವ
ಚಿತ್ರ ದೇವರದೊ ಕಲೆಗಾರನದೋ
ಮನವ ಮರೆವ ಆಟವದೋ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಯ ನಿರಂತರ ನಾಟ್ಯವದೊ?

Whither Innovation?

Today's ET features a fine article by someone living in the world of design and innovation. When will our GD Naidus, Bajajs and Tata Nano-makers start making an impact with their design and make their mark, as our folks did centuries ago, with their weaves and jewels?

Uh oh Da Vinci. Cavemen drew better!

Read this!
http://www.businessinsider.com/cavemen-drew-animal-movements-accurately-2012-12?utm_source=alerts



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Life is Beautiful - Soprano Cheryl Barker's Portrait

Just listening to ABC Classic FM featuring this soprano singer Cheryl Barker. Her famous rendering of Puccini's classic operatic pieces in Madame Butterfly inspired the artist Yin to paint her portrait, 'Hearing Meditation' which has become a finalist at the 2011 Archibald Prize.