Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2011/12/17

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: [Leica] The Cosmic Dance
From: ricc at embarqmail.com (Ric Carter)
Date: Sat, 17 Dec 2011 08:24:40 -0500
References: <CAH1UNJ34Zoi=_DKYDFTUrE1s_+w4yAMP7sSYsS+7Zo0HvsVymg@mail.gmail.com>

It is always remarkable--as you say.

I am impressed that a museum is using such dynamic light--really emphasizes 
the power.

ric


On Dec 17, 2011, at 12:41 AM, Jayanand Govindaraj wrote:

> In October I had gone to the Government Museum here in Chennai, which
> arguably has one of the best collection of South Indian Bronzes in the
> world. One of my favourite subjects for these bronzes is Siva dancing the
> cosmic dance in his avatar as Nataraja or Natesa - this depiction is IMHO
> one the most dynamic subjects in Art - the Museum has dozens of these, and
> this particular piece is the featured one. It is believed that when Siva
> (The Destroyer) finishes the dance it signifies the end of the weary
> universe, and setting the stage for Brahma (The Creator) to create the next
> one. This sculpture is from the Pallava period around the 7th Century AD,
> which is when this depiction originated. They are all made by the lost wax
> method, and that has not changed even to this day. We generally do not keep
> a large bronze of this subject at home, believing that mere humans cannot
> stand the cosmic energy released on an ongoing basis. I remember my
> grandfather getting one as a gift, which he promptly gave to a nearby
> temple, where it is still standing. Anyway, here is the photograph - the
> equipment used was the Nikon D700 with the AFS Nikkor 16-35 f4G lens,
> without flash:
> 
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/album254/20111008_017MuseumC.jpg.html
> 
> 
> There are a lot of allusions in these bronzes, and those who are interested
> can have a quick look:
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nataraja
> 
> Comments and Criticism, as ever, welcome.
> 
> Cheers
> Jayanand
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information



In reply to: Message from jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj) ([Leica] The Cosmic Dance)