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UNIT - III, , CHAPTER - 6
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INRTODUCTION, ❖ A sculpture is a three dimensional form of visual art. It includes the art of, carving, constructing, casting or moulding in stone, wood, metal, fibre, etc., ❖, , ❖, , ❖, , India has a fine legacy of terracotta, stone and metal sculptures, first one being the, dancing girl of Indus valley standing in tribhanga poses made centuries ago. The journey, from the small statue of Indus valley to Gupta Buddhas and further till Pallavas and Cholas, shows marvelous improvement in terms of skill, technique, raw material and finish., Bronze* sculptures and small statues mainly of religious iconography have been, discovered from many regions of India dating from the second century until the sixteenth, century. They belong to all prevalent religions of ancient India-Buddhism, Hinduism and, Jainism., The Chola dynasty was the longest-ruling Tamil dynasty in parts of southern India until the, 13th century AD. The period of the imperial Cholas (c. 850 CE-1250 CE) was an age of, constant improvement and refinement in Dravidian art and architecture. Chola bronzes are, considered the collector's delight all over the world., , *, .
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Two types of Sculptures :, 1. Round Sculpture : It is a free-standing sculpture,, such as statues, not attached (except at the base) to, any other surface, e.g. Cymbal Player and Nataraj. It, can be of two types :, (i) Solid Sculpture: Solid sculptures are those in which, total part is solid and has a three dimensional effect., They may be of metal, wood, terracotta, sand etc., (ii) Hollow Sculpture : Hollow Sculptures are the carved, sculptures where the centre is hollow,They are also, three dimensional but lighter in weight., , 2. Relief Sculpture: It is a sculpture carved out on a, surface of the medium in low relief or high relief. The, carving is much deeper in high relief. Indus Valley, seals are good examples to understand low relief., Ravana shaking Mount Kailash is an example of high, relief from the syllabus.
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THE LOST-WAX PROCESS / CIRE- PERDUE, This technique differed from region to region; there are two main processes of lost wax, casting:, , Solid casting and Hollow casting., SOLID CASTING- (similar to Indus Valley) First step is to create the original, model including all minute details. The raw material is made by smoothly, kneading Beeswax and kungilium (a type of camphor) with a little oil. Next, step is to coat this model with clay made from termite hills and create a, mould of a necessary thickness. Then the whole thing is dried and fired in, an oven using cow-dung cakes. The wax model melts and flows out, while, some of it vaporizes leaving the mould empty., Further on, the metal alloy of bronze (Pancha Loham) is melted and poured into the empty clay-mould. The, metal is allowed to fill all areas and narrow cracks. When it gets settled, hardened and cooled, the mould is, broken off. The hardened bronze figure thus obtained is then cleaned. and smoothened. Finer details are, added before polishing to complete the model. Hence each bronze statue is unique and the mould cannot, be reused to create copies.
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HOLLOW CASTINGHollow casting is different from the solid one because it uses a clay core underneath, the metal layer instead of the whole metal. The first task is of constructing a clay core, which is roughly the shape of the final cast image. Next, this clay core is covered by a, layer of wax composed of pure bee's wax, resin from a special tree and nut oil. This, wax is then carved like the final figure with fine details and decorations., Further on this wax in-is covered with layers of clay. Now there is wax (It's a, complicated process) between the clay core and clay top that acts like a mould. The, whole thing is heated. Wax melts out through the dults/holes created on the top clay, layer. Then liquid metal is poured in place of wax and left of cool and harden. The, metal takes the same shape as the wax. The outer layer of clay is then broken off. The, metal icon is polished and finished as desired.
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, , , , , , Medium : Bronze sculpture, Period : 12th Century A.D., Dynasty : Cholas, Location : Thanjavur (Tamil Nādu), Courtesy : Archaeological Survey of India, , THEME / SUBJECT MATTER :, ‘Natraj’ means Shiva as a king of dancers. The, sculpture is a symbolic representation of the, universal circle of life.
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DESCRIPTION : Natraj is an extraordinary sculpture of the rich cultural heritage of India. By the, 12th century CE, the Chola Nataraja became the supreme statement of Hindu art. The French, sculptor, Auguste Rodin has said "There is grace in elegance, but beyond grace there is perfection, "Natraj is standing in Atibhanga with four hands representing the cardinal directions - east, west, north and, south. Surrounding Siva, a circle of flames, jvalamala represents the whole universe of endless cycle of birth, and death in one frame, the cosmos of mass, time, and space. One flame is held in Shiva's left rear palm, the, flame of destruction which signifies final destruction of form, out of which a new world will arise. His left front, arm across his chest has its hand pointing downwards in gaja hasta mudra towards his elegantly upraised left, foot. His right foot crushes reclining figure of dwarf Apasmara, who stands for ignorance., Siva's right front hand is raised in abhaya mudra, the "fear-not" gesture of blessing, while his right rear hand, holds a drum or 'dumroo" with which he keeps the beat of dance. Snakes that symbolise ego are seen curling, around his arms, legs, and hair. His hair is braided and decorated. The snake around the waist is for kundalini,, the Shakti or divine force that is believed to reside within everything., The crescent moon on his head, hair braids spread like wavy rays on both sides of the shoulders complete the, iconography. A small image of Ganga, the river-goddess in the hair symbolizes the harsh fall from heaven to, earth through Siva's hair. His matted locks/jatas get extended as he dances within an arch of flames. There is, a skull on his head which stands for his victory over death. His third eye is symbolic of his omniscience and, enlightenment. The face is serene and peaceful with a slight smile. The contrast of an aloof and peaceful face, with an active dancing body is completely divine. The whole idol rests on a lotus pedestal, the symbol of the, creative forces of the universe. This is a marvellous example of balance, unity, rhythm and harmony.
