Shiva Response
The sculpture of Shiva from the Chola Dynasty in the 10th Century, expresses the cultures desire to freeze an icon, and have a physical density of substance important to state of mind of the people. This icon shows a physical relationship to the people and the land that it comes from. There is a dialogue between the old and the new when looking at this object and recognizing the setting that it finds itself in. When looking at specific aspects of this Icon the viewer immediately notices a calibration of distance and scale between the sculpture and themselves. Shiva is a life size statue with attributes similar to those of a human being yet grossly over determined. The icon is positioned in a reflective and calm stance establishing …show more content…
This aspect conveys the nature of Shiva to the viewer. The visual language of the Shiva seems to be in a constant turbulence. As the viewer walks around this sculpture they see a turning of perceptions and understanding in a sense like this culture did. There is a shared experienced between our culture and this culture upon surveying the icon. Shiva is wearing beads on his shirtless chest, as well as bracelets on his wrists, biceps and ankles. These are symbols of an eternal stylized ornamentation. The manner in which Shiva’s hair is thoughtfully done is important. His hair sits in the style of cone and reminds the viewer of a crown based on the way it points up to the sky and extenuates his head. This is an important and recognizable aspect of Shiva because it shows the power and immortality of a headdress. Other notable characteristics of this sculpture are the position of the hands as well as what they may mean in regard to culture and context. Some hands of Shiva appear to be holding elements which are now fragmented due to the age of the sculpture while other hands are not holding anything but rather striking poses. When looking at the sculpture from the front and reading the visual language of the hands from left to right the viewer notices that there is a thoughtful symmetry to the layout …show more content…
Certain places on the body are darker colored than others from this perspective. Possibly the lighting in the room had an effect but it seems as if the knee, shoulder, face, lap, and hands look different. This could be due to the weather and deterioration through the decades over time. There is a possibility that whatever vibrant paint they had decorated this icon over and over again with left some sort of darker color and dye within the sculpture. What they originally had on them is no longer capable of declaring due to disintegration through the years. Or possibly people interacting with the icon in a repeated physical way. Also these icons could have been draped, covered, and wrapped in different textiles that are long disappeared. All can take away from this ruin is the context in which this transformation occurred, and how its strategy of intervention and preservation have played a
The sculpture of Shiva from the Chola Dynasty in the 10th Century, expresses the cultures desire to freeze an icon, and have a physical density of substance important to state of mind of the people. This icon shows a physical relationship to the people and the land that it comes from. There is a dialogue between the old and the new when looking at this object and recognizing the setting that it finds itself in. When looking at specific aspects of this Icon the viewer immediately notices a calibration of distance and scale between the sculpture and themselves. Shiva is a life size statue with attributes similar to those of a human being yet grossly over determined. The icon is positioned in a reflective and calm stance establishing …show more content…
This aspect conveys the nature of Shiva to the viewer. The visual language of the Shiva seems to be in a constant turbulence. As the viewer walks around this sculpture they see a turning of perceptions and understanding in a sense like this culture did. There is a shared experienced between our culture and this culture upon surveying the icon. Shiva is wearing beads on his shirtless chest, as well as bracelets on his wrists, biceps and ankles. These are symbols of an eternal stylized ornamentation. The manner in which Shiva’s hair is thoughtfully done is important. His hair sits in the style of cone and reminds the viewer of a crown based on the way it points up to the sky and extenuates his head. This is an important and recognizable aspect of Shiva because it shows the power and immortality of a headdress. Other notable characteristics of this sculpture are the position of the hands as well as what they may mean in regard to culture and context. Some hands of Shiva appear to be holding elements which are now fragmented due to the age of the sculpture while other hands are not holding anything but rather striking poses. When looking at the sculpture from the front and reading the visual language of the hands from left to right the viewer notices that there is a thoughtful symmetry to the layout …show more content…
Certain places on the body are darker colored than others from this perspective. Possibly the lighting in the room had an effect but it seems as if the knee, shoulder, face, lap, and hands look different. This could be due to the weather and deterioration through the decades over time. There is a possibility that whatever vibrant paint they had decorated this icon over and over again with left some sort of darker color and dye within the sculpture. What they originally had on them is no longer capable of declaring due to disintegration through the years. Or possibly people interacting with the icon in a repeated physical way. Also these icons could have been draped, covered, and wrapped in different textiles that are long disappeared. All can take away from this ruin is the context in which this transformation occurred, and how its strategy of intervention and preservation have played a