Shiva

by Smruthi Gargi Eswar

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This artwork is accompanied by an Authenticity Certificate.

All orders are insured for transit.

We ship worldwide.

Details

Size:	36 x 25 inches
Medium:	K3 Pigment Print on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching Archival Paper
Style:	Digital Art
Edition:	Edition of 10 + 2 Artist Prints
Signature:	Bottom Right in English

Description

Gentle and limpid, like a flowing river, this languid female form is none other than the most masculine of gods: Shiva, appearing here as gopika or divine milk maid, ready to take part in Krishnas’ famed raas lila. As always the myths beguile - seemingly simple tales are prismic gateways to a wonderland of symbolism.
The sublime strains of Krishna's flute stir Shiva into joining the raas lila or dance that Krishna, the god of love, enjoys with his bevy of gopis in Vrindavan. As no male can enter Vrindavan, Siva dips himself into the waters of the Yamuna and emerges a beautiful maiden, and the two gods dance. Radha points out a subtle otherness in the atmosphere and is told by Krishna who the new dancer is - “He is Lord Siva, my teacher,” says Krishna. "You wouldn’t want me to ask him to leave, would you?” In another variation, Kali has the urge to dance with the gopikas. Taking the form of Krishna, a fellow dark god, she has a wonderful time with the gopis. Shiva, missing his consort, enters Vrindavan as Radha and dances with her.
What a wonderful world. A world of variation and abundance - for that is what Vrindavan means - a fluid, flowing world where gods slip in and out of different sexual forms, dance, love, celebrate pleasure, enjoy beauty. The gopis - no ordinary beings, are milk maids - nature herself, provider of the milk of life. And Vrindavan - where all things exist - is perceivable only to those free of familial ties, of outlandish moral constructs, of self. For only they are unburdened enough to live life in its fullness and multitude, and light enough to dance to its rhythms. Here, Shiva the Nataraj, the supreme dancer who dances the cosmos into existence and destruction, dances or plays, for that is what lila means - when the god of love and the cosmos is animated into being.

About the Series:
This artwork is part of the “Sister Misfortune” series, through which the artist, Smruthi Gargi Eswar, narrates lesser-known stories from Indian mythology, while reflecting on the narrative surrounding women in our culture. Various Indian goddesses (devis) are depicted with a refreshing artistic lens.
In India, there is a constant burden on women to be “Devi-like”. Through this series, the artist attempts a reverse deification of the goddesses, making them appear like real women, in a real world. The series is an exploration not just of duality, but of multiplicity. It compels us to question our attitudes - women towards themselves, men towards women. How does the idea of a goddess coexist within every woman? How do we, as a society, so casually dismiss, disrespect, disregard, and defile in our everyday existence, those who we have bedecked with gold and enshrined in a temple?

Description

Gentle and limpid, like a flowing river, this languid female form is none other than the most masculine of gods: Shiva, appearing here as gopika or divine milk maid, ready to take part in Krishnas’ famed raas lila. As always the myths beguile - seemingly simple tales are prismic gateways to a wonderland of symbolism.
The sublime strains of Krishna's flute stir Shiva into joining the raas lila or dance that Krishna, the god of love, enjoys with his bevy of gopis in Vrindavan. As no male can enter Vrindavan, Siva dips himself into the waters of the Yamuna and emerges a beautiful maiden, and the two gods dance. Radha points out a subtle otherness in the atmosphere and is told by Krishna who the new dancer is - “He is Lord Siva, my teacher,” says Krishna. "You wouldn’t want me to ask him to leave, would you?” In another variation, Kali has the urge to dance with the gopikas. Taking the form of Krishna, a fellow dark god, she has a wonderful time with the gopis. Shiva, missing his consort, enters Vrindavan as Radha and dances with her.
What a wonderful world. A world of variation and abundance - for that is what Vrindavan means - a fluid, flowing world where gods slip in and out of different sexual forms, dance, love, celebrate pleasure, enjoy beauty. The gopis - no ordinary beings, are milk maids - nature herself, provider of the milk of life. And Vrindavan - where all things exist - is perceivable only to those free of familial ties, of outlandish moral constructs, of self. For only they are unburdened enough to live life in its fullness and multitude, and light enough to dance to its rhythms. Here, Shiva the Nataraj, the supreme dancer who dances the cosmos into existence and destruction, dances or plays, for that is what lila means - when the god of love and the cosmos is animated into being.

About the Series:
This artwork is part of the “Sister Misfortune” series, through which the artist, Smruthi Gargi Eswar, narrates lesser-known stories from Indian mythology, while reflecting on the narrative surrounding women in our culture. Various Indian goddesses (devis) are depicted with a refreshing artistic lens.
In India, there is a constant burden on women to be “Devi-like”. Through this series, the artist attempts a reverse deification of the goddesses, making them appear like real women, in a real world. The series is an exploration not just of duality, but of multiplicity. It compels us to question our attitudes - women towards themselves, men towards women. How does the idea of a goddess coexist within every woman? How do we, as a society, so casually dismiss, disrespect, disregard, and defile in our everyday existence, those who we have bedecked with gold and enshrined in a temple?

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ABOUT Smruthi Gargi Eswar

Smruthi Gargi Eswar is an artist and storyteller. She studied at the Baroda Faculty of Fine Arts and Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore briefly. Her art studies started much earlier though, while she was still a student at The Valley School KFI. From a fine arts education, Smruthi moved on to graphic design and photography almost immediately. But over the last few years, she has ventured back into the world of art, finding within it, an avenue to explore, address and express at a more personal level. Her journey from graphic design to art initially established the medium in which her works were created. Now, they vary from terracotta to acrylic to photography. But one of the mediums she enjoys using the most to give voice to her artistic expression even today, is digital or graphic art.

With shows travelling to Budapest, New York, Cochin, Delhi and Mumbai, Smruthi has always enjoyed collaborating with designers, performance artists and other creative professionals. In 2014, she did a solo show in New Delhi, showcasing works from her “Sister Misfortune” series at acclaimed fashion designer Ritu Kumar’s flagship store. The hugely successful art series, for which Smruthi has been creating works for over a decade, has also been exhibited in Kochi, Bangalore, and Mumbai. Smruthi is a board member of Art in Social Structures, an international NGO run and funded by artists that believes that art is the building block of all social structures. Her photography work has been published in India and the Philippines. Her work has been collected by art patrons around the world. The artist is based in Bangalore and Delhi.

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ABOUT Digital Art

Digital art is a term used to describe an artistic practice that uses digital technology either as part of the creative or the presentation process. It falls under the umbrella world of new media art. Since the 1960s, various different names have been used to describe digital art, and some of the other commonly used terms include computer art, multimedia art, and even graphic art.

Digital artworks can be created as unique or editioned pieces. To maintain the value and exclusivity of the artwork, an artist would typically destroy the source file (of the artwork), once the number of pre-decided pieces have been sold. Digital artworks may be presented digitally, but more commonly, they are printed works of art that can be hung on a wall, much like a painting.

Contrary to misconception, creating digital art also requires artistic skills such as sketching, drawing and colouring, as digital artists use all of these to create their artworks on the computer. While there may be some lingering debate about the pros and cons of this new age medium of creation, there is no doubt, that digital art has created a vast expansion of the creative sphere.

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Details

Size:	36 x 25 inches
Medium:	K3 Pigment Print on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching Archival Paper
Style:	Digital Art
Edition:	Edition of 10 + 2 Artist Prints
Signature:	Bottom Right in English

AUTHENTICITY

This artwork is accompanied by an Authenticity Certificate.

Returns

We accept returns within 7 days of delivery if the item reaches you in damaged condition.
Shipping

This artwork will be shipped rolled. Shipping costs are extra, and will be calculated based on the shipping address.

All orders are insured for transit.

We ship worldwide.

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