Art Museums: Shiva as Lord of the Dance - Research Paper Example

number 19 February Art Museums: Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja) Art museums serve people both as a pathway to knowledge of human civilizations cultural heritage and a powerful source of inspiration. Some exhibits might make one think of the meaning of life, while others help to reconsider ones view of the riddles of the universe or develop a new stance toward personal existential problems. There is no doubt that the collection of the Denver Art Museum meets all of the aforementioned criteria having a lot to offer. In this essay I will focus on one of the most precious exhibits of the Denver Art Museums Asian art collection, which is an ancient Indian statue of Shiva, King of Dancers (also known as Shiva Nataraja). The Denver Art Museum is famous for its rich Asian collection full of distinguished artifacts. More than five thousand objects of this prominent collection are exhibited in twenty two thousand square feet of gallery space. The large-scale Asian art collection occupies the galleries on the fifth floor of the Denver Art Museums North Building and contains objects that extend back over six thousand years ("Asian Art"). A thirteenth century bronze statue of Shiva Nataraja, known as the Lord or King of Dance, is one of the museums oldest high-profile exhibits. It depicts one of the most important of Hindu deities, Shiva, as a divine dancer. Shiva is translated from Sanskrit as "auspicious god", which is one of the primary embodiments of God in Hinduism. According to the Hindu mythology Shiva must destroy the world as we know it to cause the awakening of Brahma, another influential Hindu God responsible for the recreation of the universe (Gruenwald, and Marchand). Hindus believe that everything that has a beginning must have an end. Thus, the statue of Shiva as a Lord of Dance is a bright illustration of this belief. They believe that Shiva is responsible for destruction of the illusions of individuality in the first place, thus Shivas dance has to be perceived as a catharsis for each and everyone. The abovementioned statue of Shiva has its origins in Tamil Nadu Province of India and was created 1100s during the rule of the Chola dynasty, which was one of the most powerful and long-lasting dynasties in the history of southern India ("Asian Art"). During the rule of Chola dynasty a number of magnificent Shiva temples famous for its exuberant architecture were built in southern India and numerous sculptures and bronzes of Shiva were created (Gruenwald, and Marchand). The sculpture of Shiva Nataraja is probably one of the most sophisticated artworks of exquisite beauty created during that period. It became a part of the Denver Art Museum collection in 1947 and was given to the museum as a bequest from the Funds of Dora Porter Mason. The statue is around 36 inches high and is made of bronze and iron ("Asian Art"). Under the interpretation of the Denver Art Museum the statue symbolizes Shiva dancing the universe in and out of its existence ("Asian Art"). Hindus believe that Shivas dance in the center of the universe, which is a human heart at the same time, will liberate men from illusions when proper time comes. The sound of Shivas drum ushers in the birth of the universe, while the burning flames all around the dancing Shiva represent the death and destruction of the universe. The interpretation of the Denver Museum adds another meaning to the circular arc of flames stating that it symbolizes a cycle of time, namely, the past, present and future ("Asian Art"). Shivas right leg rests on a strange creature. Under the interpretation of the Denver Museum this creature, which looks like an infant, is a demon of forgetfulness, while according to another interpretation the dwarf under Shivas foot symbolizes human ignorance ("Asian Art"). Numerous hands of Shiva, its gestures and objects that they hold, bear important symbolic meaning. The left foot is lifted up in the air representing release from frailty of life. Shivas upper right hand holds the aforementioned drum, while another hand on the right is frozen in a placating gesture that symbolizes fearlessness and protection for the righteous. There is a fire in one of Shivas left hands, which represents the destruction of the universe. Another left hand points to the lifted foot and symbolizes the release from ignorance. The snake slithering down Shivas waist symbolizes the so-called Shakti or the presence of a divine thought in every existing thing in the universe (Gruenwald, and Marchand). Shivas face doesnt seem to express any strong emotions, except for a cold determination or resolved satisfaction with the dance of death and birth of the universe, which this mysterious Hindu deity is performing. The story of the acquisition of the ancient bronze statue of Shiva by its prior owner, before it finally ended up in the Denver Museum collection, is marked with mystery and intricacy. The statue was allegedly stolen from one of the Sivan temples in India and smuggled to the United States of America, where it was subsequently sold (Gruenwald, and Marchand). But no cogent evidence in favor of this version has been ever provided. The reference attached to the exhibit tells visitors only a brief story of what Shivas dance might mean, when the statue of this Hindu god was created, where it originated from and who its previous owner was. The way the statue is illuminated is quite interesting. Shivas hands are exposed to the light, while the rest of the body is a bit shadowed. Thus, the Denver Museum team stresses on the symbolism of Shivas gestures and the objects that the Hindu god holds in hands. The arch of flames surrounding Shiva is illuminated from the right and shadowed to the left. The clockwise illumination of this circular arc of flames might emphasize the idea of cycle of time that Shiva is dancing through, which is the interpretation that the information plate attached to the exhibit sticks to. Ronald Y. Otsuka, who has been the curator of the Asian collection at the Denver Art Museum since 1973, is the one who can be identified as the author of both the interpretation that the information plate of the exhibit contains and the presentation of the statue, which displays its original context to the full ("Asian Art"). It must be noted that both the label, which contains information about the exhibit, and the presentation of the art object itself, including its illumination and location in the gallery, tell us a lot about those who put the exhibit on display. Otsuka, who is responsible for the presentation concept that the statue of Shiva is a part of within the Asian art collection of the Denver Museum, deliberately chose to put down little data in the information label about the symbolic meaning of gestures and objects, which Shivas hands are holding ("Asian Art"). Instead, as mentioned above, the stress on the importance of numerous hands of dancing Shiva is made by exposing them to light unlike other parts of Shivas body. This trick is aimed at sparking a certain sense of curiosity in sharp-sighted visitors of the museum making them want to know more about the statue. Thus, the value of the information labels, which are an intermediary between museum visitors, those who organized the exhibition and artifacts per se, is diminished by drawing the main attention to the exhibit itself instead of the interpretation of facts about it. The color choice of the gallery interior is also an important tool that helps to shift accents. The color of the background, against which the statue of Shiva stands out, is pale blue ("Asian Art"). In my opinion, this color choice is aimed at inspiring visitors with a certain feeling of coldness that inflexible will of the eternal Hindu deity symbolized through its dance of both destruction and creation have been communicating to its worshipers for thousands of years. In fact, any museum exhibition is a three-sided act of communication between a museum team that elaborates the presentation concept, visitors of a museum and exhibits themselves. And a color choice of a gallery is a significant part of such interplay, which cant be underestimated. To do justice to the Denver Art Museum team I have to admit that they did a great job. The presentation of the exhibit surely displays its original context. The information label attached to the exhibit is brief but well-written. The curator of the Asian art collection and his colleagues managed to effectively situate the statue of Shiva; the lighting and color choice of the gallery made by them are well-thought-out. Works Cited "Asian Art". Denverartmuseum.org. Denver Art Museum, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2015. Gruenwald, Christine, and Peter Marchand. "Hindu Gods and Goddesses: Shiva." Sanatan Society. 6 Nov. 2011. Web. 15 Feb. 2015. Read More