This project was done as a Portrait Study assignement. The prompt was to choose any large theme and conduct a portrait study which would provide insight to the theme. I chose to conduct my study on Indian gods and creating 21st century adaptations of them. Each portrait is made on canvas using oil paint.
The set of portraits is a recreation of the traditional Indian gods—Durga, Shiva and Lakshmi—in light of concepts witnessed and relevant in the 21st century. Each portrait is made by taking reference of an Undergraduate student and then modifying and adapting the image to create a deity, one which is recreated and is imbibing a new notion and better understanding of the concept associated with the deity. These portraits explore modification, deification and appropriation in art.
Portrait 1 (Re-imagining Durga):
The Goddess Durga is traditionally portrayed as a warrior against evil, one that ensures the victory of the good over the evil. She is portrayed as having 10 hands, each holding a weapon. Depicted as killing the evil demon Mahisasur, Durga is viewed as an immensely powerful woman with a highly destructive temper. The weapons in her hand are illustrative of the power and destruction she brings along with her, ensuring that all good is protected. She is hiighly symbolic of women power.
In the re-imagination of Durga, she is portrayed as holding multiple gadgets and social media widgets. In place of the traditional lion that she is usually seated on, she is shown as seated on a bed of cables and wires. Durga embodies the power that technology and social media brings with it in the 21st century. In today’s world, social media provides a forum to ensure rapid spread of information across the world. Additionally, it has also led to a new understanding of a connected world, where in the digital age the reputation one is accorded on the internet interactions. In this manner, activities like
cyber bullying as well as awareness about various issues that is created through social media are witnessed often. It is in this light that Durga is portrayed in this multiple gadgets and social media icons, portraying the changed role of technology. The bed of cables embodies that it is cables and electricity that is a “vaahan” to the technological power that Durga is bringing with her. Thus, this portrait is a modification of a traditional deity to today’s times and a re-imagination of a traditional conception of power of the good to a different and more relevant understanding of the same.
Being the first portrait that I created, the experience of making this portrait was largely centred around experimentation with an unknown medium in order to better understand the various limitations and advantages it brings with it. Additionally, it also allowed me to play around with a few different ways of using oil as a medium which can be viewed in the difference in the background, the clothing and the cables. Along with this, it provided an opportunity to draw a full portrait of a person accompanied by creating modifications to the image.
Portrait 2 (Hindu Shiva: A New Understanding):
Hindu mythology holds the Puranic God Shiva to be a destroyer among the gods with a deadly temper that is reflected by the third eye on his forehead, said to be open when he is angry. Shiva is traditionally portrayed as blue, poisoned and having skin smeared with ash. He is said to have long matted hair with the Ganges River flowing out of it along with a crescent moon on his head. Additionally, the bare-chested Shiva also wears multiple beads around his neck as well as carries a trident to portray the immense power and violence associated with his anger.
This image of Shiva, in this portrait, has been appropriated to the issue of Hindutva. Indian politics, and gradually Indian social life, has been largely influenced by the concept of Hindutva since the late 20th century. Hindutva has, over time, come to be associated with a total rejection of all things which are not Hindu. With the rise of the BJP in Gujarat and at the centre, Hindutva and the popular saffron associated with it have become issues of everyday life, instilling both fear and a feeling of
power in people. In this manner, by adding symbols associated with Hindutva to the portrait of shiva, a new understanding of the god was created.
In order to portray a Shiva that embodies Hindutva power in the 21st century, Shiva’s traditionally blue skin is portrayed with patches of saffron. This is because saffron is a symbol of the Hindutva movement, and the portrait tries to convey an image of a blue Shiva, whose skin is gradually changing to saffron, indicating the addition of a new poison in his throat. Additionally, to show a total rejection of all things non Hindu, especially Islamic, viewed by some as a characteristic of the Hndutva movement, the Shiva is drawn without a crescent, a symbol that is closely associated with Islam. Moreover, by keeping Shiva’s trident, the feeling of power and authority is preserved. Thus, the portrait reflects an appropriation of the Indian god Shiva, to provide a new understanding to his power and to gain insight into the concept of Hindutva. The portrait of Shiva is an adaption to the concept of Hindutva and an embodiment of the concept to portray a certain point of view associated with a notion that is highly popular and extremely relevant in India today.
For this portrait, I chose to play with two complementary colours, blue and orange, and view the effects that they created. Emphasizing only these two colours also allowed a clearer depiction of the concept that I aimed to convey. Furthermore, the portrait was aimed to understand the play of light and shade through the medium of oil painting. Therefore, a picture with a strong light and shade difference was chosen and painted with modifications to it. This was my change to focus on the face and expressions and to depict them in a non-realist way.
3rd Portrait (Material Lakshmi):
The Goddess Lakshmi, is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity and fortune. She is usually depicted with gold coins and lotuses in her hand. The coins portray wealth while the lotus symbolizes modesty, humility and purity in spite
of monetary power. Being worshipped to ensure prosperity, she is the Hindu god most closely associated with wealth.
The portrait attempts to adapt the concept of materialism and consumerism that is witnessed in today’s time to Lakshmi. Materialism refers to a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values. Consumerism, on the other hand, refers to the preoccupation of society with the acquisition of consumer goods. Both of these concepts go hand in hand in a capitalist society, where they are traits assumed by almost all citizens. With an increase in available consumer goods, and greater monetary wealth over time, people have taken to consumerism in free time. The portrait attempts to capture this view of the capitalist world where an individual, in this case Lakshmi, buys a lot of extravagant goods and is attempting to show off wealth through the various things bought and subsequently worn.
The portrait shows Lakshmi as carrying a bundle of money notes in her hand, in place of the gold coins she traditionally carries. The money notes bring with it a certain feeling of crudeness which replaces the elegance of the gold coins. Additionally, in order to reinforce the lotus symbol, petals are made as a part of the background and the symbol is constantly reinstated in the jewellery and clothing.In order to portray the consumerist and materialist attitude, Lakshmi is made wearing very heavy jewellery and very dressy clothing. Apart from this, the attire and jewellery along with the money also represent wealth and a general assertion of wealth, which is accompanied by consumerism. Moreover, to make it as relevant to real world as possible, this portrait was made keeping alive the realistic features and skin tone of the human body, altering only the clothes and jewellery. This helps suggest that it is something which is not uncommon but can instead be adapted to anybody.
The portrayed allowed me a chance to represent human features realistically. Additionally, I chose to focus on drawing only the face and tried to portray a profile image of the individual as I had already explored a front facing image in my second portrait. Playing with minimal modification, this is the portrait made closest to the image from which it is referred.
Thank you!
