Shiva As Depicted In Art

[Necromancer]

Namaste, pranams and praise Lord Shiva.

I am certain a topic exists for this somewhere else. I also don't know how to approach this subject without cutting straight to the heart of the matter either.

The artistic representation of Lord Shiva has undergone a great transformation within this past century.

I was on eBay the other day, looking for a poster/painting or the like of an image of Lord Shiva I felt worthy of 'adorning my wall' (so to speak).

The first thing I saw, were those early lithographs of Lord Shiva in the form of Ravi Varma - Kashi Vishvanath and I was like...'what the....?'

Next, I noticed how the artwork has changed in the features, colours and quality from the 1940's and 1950's up til now. Some of those early renditions of my Lord, with pale white skin (since when was Vibhuti bright blue anyway?) and sitting in a forest clearing with flowers all around...yeah, they tug at the heart (lots).

Now, the 'Image' of all the Gods, not only Shiv Bhagwan and Krishna, but all of them are too 'commercialised' now. They are also getting fatter and rosier cheeks...I mean, what's up with that?

I still haven't decided what I will buy yet, but I shall end this post now:

http://blackheartmagazine.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/shiva.jpg

Thanks for viewing.

Aum Namah Shivaya

[McKitty]

Namaste, pranams and praise Lord Shiva.

Hara Hara Mahadev


I am certain a topic exists for this somewhere else.

Never saw this kind of topic until now, so I guess you're the first to talk about it (But I can be wrong :D)


The artistic representation of Lord Shiva has undergone a great transformation within this past century.

Right, but it depends which ones



(since when was Vibhuti bright blue anyway?)

From what I've seen when you mix holy ash with water to put on your skin, it gives some kind of grey-blueish color. Not as blue as in the pictures you can see on the net however :0


Now, the 'Image' of all the Gods, not only Shiv Bhagwan and Krishna, but all of them are too 'commercialised' now. They are also getting fatter and rosier cheeks...I mean, what's up with that?

Artistic work evolve over the ages, that's not a good thing for some but it's a fact. There are many examples in art history...But things changes according what people want.
A bhakta nowaday would prefer a modern interpretation of bala Krishna with rosy cheeks like you say, because it create an emotion to the bhakta. Another would prefer an image of Krishna from the last century.

This above is about personal preferences

But...What does these artistics interpretations makes difference to the Formless ? Should it be more or less cheeky, chubby, blue or white, what is the difference between Shiv Yantra; a picture of last century Mahadev in the forest, and a modern Shiva ? There is none for the devotee that seek oneness :)

Pictures for bhakti are nice to see, there are many differents with differents styles, everyone can have the picture of their Lord they want according to their preferences.

But for seeking Self realization, Oneness with Mahadev, it is prescribed to worship the formless into the forms that bring knowledge and blessings. Figures of worship are for example Nataraja, ArdhanarIshwara, Bhairava, Dakshinamurthy, I think there are 64 forms of Shiva like that (If I remember right) and they didn't changed over the time, or so little, because they are support to the message and knowledge, support for meditation and realization, and you can't change them...Personally I think it's a good thing for these ones ! :D I can't imagine a chubby bala Shiva Nataraja ! Though I have nothing against chubby Mahadev.

Personally I think there is no de-volution, or destroying of something, there is only evolution, and it's a part of Art but also of everything ! ;) This is one of the tasks of Mahadev, altering/detroying something to gives it a new life, a new meaning, a new beginning.



Aum Namah Shivaya


Aum Namah Shivaya

[Necromancer]

Namaste.

I was trying to think of a long-winded reply, but all I could come up with was 'there's just no accounting for 'good taste' anymore'. *jks

I understand now though, people like 'chibi gods' and such and seeing Lord Shiva represented as a human being may interest some people...dunno why...

What's the story behind Ravi Varma - Kashi Vishvanath anyway? I am curious and I was hoping that if this thread answered anything, it would be that. :cool1:

So now, we all get to post our favourite pictures of Lord Shiva on the internet. Lets do it:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Srt7E_5Ni28/TmreH_HYyhI/AAAAAAAAEXk/45RFnooFPJw/s1600/rudrashtakam-of-lord-rudra-shiva.jpg

Aum Namah Shivaya

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté

Śiva is kṣetrajña¹ the Supreme Self or ātmā ... so says the śiva mahāpurāṇa (rudra saṃhitā). What ~form~ can we assign to Him with any confidence of being accurate ?


iti śivaṁ

1. kṣetrajña - 'knowing the body' ; a form of bhairava or śiva.

[Necromancer]

hariḥ oṁ

~~~~~~

namasté

Śiva is kṣetrajña¹ the Supreme Self or ātmā ... so says the śiva mahāpurāṇa (rudra saṃhitā). What ~form~ can we assign to Him with any confidence of being accurate ?


iti śivaṁ

1. kṣetrajña - 'knowing the body' ; a form of bhairava or śiva.

Namaste. Yes, I see your point too and I guess I am being too aesthetic about the ascetic here, so please beg my pardon and thank you for replying.

It was only for a 'work of art' to hang up in my living room anyway and not to be worshipped or anything...but I guess I can get a Van Gough print or something instead...it means the same thing. lol

Aum Namah Shivaya

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté


but I guess I can get a Van Gough print or something instead...it means the same thing.

Yet , to the one that truely sees, we will see śiva in Van Gough's painting, or even in a blade of grass.

iti śivaṁ

[Necromancer]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté



Yet , to the one that truely sees, we will see śiva in Van Gough's painting, or even in a blade of grass.

iti śivaṁ



Namaste.

*sigh

If only I/we could actually keep that up for an extended period of time without needing constant reminders (like works of art) to do this.

I have 'Sunflowers' up there atm.

Sunflowers have the 'Universal Code' encoded in their seeds...the Fibonacci Sequence (I am not going into the Fractal Representations of Shiva Tandavam again incorporating Multiverse Theory...I spare you that).

Suffice to say, I see Lord Shiva in sunflowers, nautilus shells, pine cones, insect eyes and bee hives..I could go on...working towards the 'blade of grass' thing..

I'll leave 'Sunflowers' there...even though it's been there for like 10 years now and I was growing bored of it, but now I am not bored of it anymore and thank you.

Aum Namah Shivaya

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté


Namaste.

If only I/we could actually keep that up for an extended period of time without needing constant reminders (like works of art) to do this.


This is fine... We use support. That support that reminds us, again and again.

iti śivaṁ

[Necromancer]

Namaste and thank you. We are on the same page now, so how about sharing some 'human-inspired representations of a voidless form' for us all to just pass the time looking at for amusement purposes? Only if you'd like to do that, of course.

Aum Namah Shivaya

[ShivaFan]

Namaste
Strickly in terms of asthetics and not doctrine or sacred text, I think one answer to the appearance in the posters is that the earlier one's were prints of oil paintings, which blend color and less sharp color to opposite color edging found in later art works that turned to using acrylic paints (which are less expensive than oils). And while oils are more expensive than acrylics, those who still use oils (which I consider fine art) discovered cheap cobalt blue on the market which is that blue color gou se mixed with white and which then had cheap acrylic copy cats. The oils in complete stages of paint levels should or sometimes put on finishing touches using paints caled "lakes" which are sort of transparent and allow under layers to "glow through" , sometimes resins were used to add to the effect. The oils are built upon an under layer of gesso white or gray depending on the effect, with upto 6 layers of gesso then followed by oils. The underdrawing should never be done using lead such as lead pencils, it burns the oils.

Lastly, "multi-medium" styles came into poster templates, for example cheap acrylics and even pastel or water color mixes.

I strongly prefer oils.

Varma was a genius of painting.

Om Namah Sivaya

[Necromancer]

Namaste
Strickly in terms of asthetics and not doctrine or sacred text, I think one answer to the appearance in the posters is that the earlier one's were prints of oil paintings, which blend color and less sharp color to opposite color edging found in later art works that turned to using acrylic paints (which are less expensive than oils). And while oils are more expensive than acrylics, those who still use oils (which I consider fine art) discovered cheap cobalt blue on the market which is that blue color gou se mixed with white and which then had cheap acrylic copy cats. The oils in complete stages of paint levels should or sometimes put on finishing touches using paints caled "lakes" which are sort of transparent and allow under layers to "glow through" , sometimes resins were used to add to the effect. The oils are built upon an under layer of gesso white or gray depending on the effect, with upto 6 layers of gesso then followed by oils. The underdrawing should never be done using lead such as lead pencils, it burns the oils.

Lastly, "multi-medium" styles came into poster templates, for example cheap acrylics and even pastel or water color mixes.

I strongly prefer oils.

Varma was a genius of painting.

Om Namah Sivaya

Namaste. I could hug you.

This was the answer I was looking for. Something logical to explain why and to answer my initial questions as to why I started this thread in the first place.

More rep coming your way...and if I was still a Wiccan (yeah I went there), I'd point out your 666th post right now. :p

* It's telling me I gotta wait and 'spread the lerve around'. I'll do that.

Aum Namah Shivaya

[Necromancer]

I am just reading this, so I thought I would post it here for anybody, like me who needs a reference to it in a thread such as this one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raja_Ravi_Varma

Aum Namah Shivaya

[Necromancer]

I'm revisiting this off the back of another thread. I just got myself Shin Megami Tensei 1&2 for Playstation2, not knowing what to expect....well, I didn't expect this is all I know:

http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/1...iva1_large.jpg (http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/1/15776/790930-shiva1_large.jpg)
http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Shin-Megami-T...49g~~60_35.JPG (http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Shin-Megami-Tensei-Real-Figure-Shiva-PVC-Figure-FuRyu-/00/s/NDgwWDM2MA==/$(KGrHqN,!rkFBCW69I9hBQ,vJ1S49g~~60_35.JPG)

*I so want that last one.....

This led me onto exploring 'Techno-Shiva' and some of the stuff...well, it's either very good or really bad (again, being too judgmental here, but it serves the thread's purpose).
http://hopsonic.com/emails/ome/lord-shiva-angry-i4.jpg

Then, I like pictures showing Lord Shiva as doing something totally different to what He'd normally be doing:

http://www.gileshoover.com/jc/lord-shiva-wallpapers-for-pc-5617.jpg
*He doesn't just sit in Padmasan always

http://www.hindugodwallpaper.com/images/gods/fullsize/420_035.jpg
*...and makes you wonder what Avatar He is

Aum Namah Shivaya

[McKitty]

Vanakkam,


I'm revisiting this off the back of another thread. I just got myself Shin Megami Tensei 1&2 for Playstation2, not knowing what to expect....well, I didn't expect this is all I know:


I think you will love Megaten serie ;) I'm a great fan of it. The main "demon designer" is Kazuma Kaneko, he is a real master, he made several artbooks "demonic compendium" where he redesigned Gods, demons and mythological creatures from all around the world that are in Megaten serie.

I have a Megaten Vishnu figure, but of course I don't use it for worship :D



Aum Namah Shivaya

[Viraja]

The picture of sacred temples to Lord Shiva has always appealed to my heart - it used to have a specific impact on my devotion to Lord Maheshwara. Below is the link containing of the beautiful picture of the temple at Kedharnath:

http://uttarakhand.blog.com/panch-kedar/kedarnath-panchkedar/

How lovely is this temple? Surrounded by snow-clad mountains! Also is the picture of Amarnath's snow-linga in a cave:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lord_Amarnath.jpg

When I used to work earlier, I had frequent visits to these pages, they somehow used to have a calming effect on me. I cannot describe adequately with words, the peace and bliss I feel upon encountering such pictures.

[Viraja]

Pl. ignore my previous reply :) For a moment, I forgot this is all about Shiva as depicted in paintings or other art forms, not in photographs.

[Necromancer]

Namaste.

I am revisiting this after seeing another picture of Lord Shiva and Lady Parvati.

This one depicts the social customs of the time it was printed (in the 1950's):

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFgxMjc4/$T2eC16ZHJGYE9noojej+BQPHEdht9w~~60_35.JPG

Note the hairstyles and make up indicative of that era.

Here is one from the 1930's:

http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mrEzh4o0CRVwtRlDvxeJr1g.jpg


...and the 1970's:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jfpo_6JBtHQ/Txa5eXgI3FI/AAAAAAAAAOI/PyWm8_eMbeA/s1600/4425829994_c83bcd3f91.jpg

The standardised pictures of Lord Shiva we see today, began in the 1980's.

We make pictures of God in our own image. The design changes throughout time to whatever is 'fashionable' in that period.

I find this intriguing.

Aum Namah Shivaya