Rising Above
The mighty horse
And the rising sun
The race of Life
And the will to run.
The third in a “The Reflections” collection of three artworks by Ashima Kumar to be released is Rising Above. These paintings represent three attributes of the human mind, the horse representing the race of life. Collectively they symbolise man’s desire to reach his/her eternal goal – the merger with the Supreme Being.
£ 90.00 – £ 550.00
More like this
-
Summer Buddha – At Peace
£ 125.00 – £ 600.00 BUYInspired by the story of Buddha finding enlightenment whilst meditating underneath a tree without moving for seven weeks. This piece, the third in a collection of 4 representing the four seasons of Buddha, pushes the boundaries of natures’ potential further, to the point at which Buddha is immersed so much in nature, both are evenly depicted in the composition. Buddha has a length of time completely alone with nature, which makes him at peace, and a part of his surroundings.
Buddha has become one with the tree and is at peace. This painting also plays on similarities between our anatomy and nature surrounding us. The Buddha sits still and peacefully just like the tree, firmly rooted on the ground.
-
Shiva Nataraja – The Cosmic Dancer
£ 105.00 – £ 800.00 BUYThe statue of Lord Shiva performing the cosmic dance, is one of the most iconic and enigmatic symbols of Hinduism. The ‘Nataraja’ represents enlightened people that have mastered their emotions, nurtured a balanced personality and understand their True Self.
Artist Parama Libralesso recreates this divine pose in his psychedelic artwork. Here Shiva, in his Nataraja avatar, is in the midst of his doomsday dance – signalling the dissolution of the universe with the closing of an eon. He is surrounded by a circle of fire, which represents the universe that is up in flames, while he remains calm. In His upper right hand, Shiva is holding the damru (an hour-glass shaped drum), whose vibrations create the universe. In the upper right hand, He holds Agni, or the fire that signifies regeneration or transformation – implying constant change.
The second left hand points towards the raised foot which signifies upliftment and salvation. It also follows the form of an elephant trunk, alluding to wisdom. Shiva’s right foot is trampling a dwarf-like figure called Apasmara, a demon who represents the negative aspects of ignorance and ego. Shiva is signalling the destruction of these negative traits in order for us to attain self-actualisation. The snake that coils around Shiva’s neck signifies this His mastery over being calm even in life’s most fearful moments.
The entire image of the Nataraja is an assurance to us that creation is not a chaotic and accidental phenomena but a guided and rhythmic movement under the mastery and control of the eternal self and that we too can become masters of our own movements and action by liberating ourselves from the limitations of our ego and delusion.
-
Kalpavriksha – The wishing tree
£ 90.00 – £ 950.00 BUYThe Kalpavriksha is a wish fulfilling divine tree in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. It is said that the Kalpavriksha was one of the 14 things that came out of the Samudra Manthan – the churning of the ocean of milk, along with Kamadhenu, the divine cow that bestows all needs; the tree is also said to be the Milky Way.
Indra (the king of the gods) returned with the Kalpavriksha to his abode in paradise and planted it there. Another myth says that the Kalpavriksha was located on earth and was transported to Indra’s abode after people started misusing it by wishing evil things
Kalpavriksha is now said to be planted at Mount Meru in the middle of Indra’s five paradise gardens (devaloka). It is said therefore that there are as many as five Kalpavrikshas.
In Buddhism a small wish granting tree is depicted decorating the upper part of the “long-life vase” held by “longevity deities” like Amitayus and Ushnishavijaya; the goddess Shramana devi holds jeweled branch of Kalpavriksha in her left hand.
In this painting of the Kalpavriksha, the artist has created the wishing tree in a more contemporary style, sharing his vision of what this mystical tree of desires (maya) could look like.
Artist: Patrizio Landolfi, Original Media: Mixed technique on canvas