Krishna Vanquishing the Crane-Demon Bakasura
1704
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1704
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Krishna Vanquishing the Crane-Demon Bakasura is a 1704 unspecified by Unknown, a Mughal Painting work, depicting Andhra Pradesh, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A blue-skinned boy twists in mid-air, one foot pressed to the beak of a giant crane that sprawls across the ground. The bird’s wings are still flapping, but its eyes are already glassy. This is Krishna killing the demon Bakasura, who tried to eat him. The artist drew a sharp diagonal from the god’s raised heel down to the bird’s broken neck—every muscle tells the same story. If you like this bold, flat style, look up paintings from Tirupati.
The Hindu god Vishnu incarnated himself as Krishna in response to pleadings from the Earth goddess to rid her of a wicked king. The king sent demons of many forms to assassinate Krishna, who effortlessly destroyed them. The South Indian artist effectively used a diagonal composition to show the cause and effect of Krishna’s assault and the fall of the defeated demon.
The true form of the crane-demon tumbles out from the backside of the distressed bird.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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