Krishna as Kali, and Shiva
1885
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1885
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Krishna as Kali, and Shiva is a 1885 paint by Unknown, a Impressionism work, depicting Kalighat, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
The painting depicts a woman with dark skin and long black hair, wearing a yellow sari and jewelry. She has four arms, with one hand holding a severed head and another holding a sword. Her right foot is on the chest of a man with a yellow loincloth, who is lying on his back. The background is a muted greenish-brown color. The woman's facial expression is fierce, with her tongue out and her eyes narrowed. The man on the ground appears to be dead or unconscious. The overall atmosphere of the painting is one of intensity and drama. The painting's style is reminiscent of traditional Indian art, with bold lines and vivid colors. The use of chiaroscuro creates a sense of depth and volume, drawing the viewer's eye to the central figures. If you're interested in learning more about this style, you might want to explore the movement of Realism.
The artwork is a painting rendered in opaque watercolour on paper, depicting Krishna as the goddess Kali standing atop the figure of Shiva, created by an unknown artist in 1885. It was acquired in 1894 from Miss M Steele, whose mother, a Sanskrit scholar at Cambridge, had inherited the piece; Steele noted that her grandmother, who had lived in India, may have originally collected the work.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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