Krishna with Gopis

The beautiful, lyrical poems of Jayadeva's Gitagovinda have inspired a series of paintings. They have the wonderful tales of Radha and Krishna and the same have been depicted by innumerable painters through the ages. In its divine form, the Radha-Krishna legend would elevate to spiritual heights, whereas in its human form it was an unending source of sensual delight.

The blue bodied god is being offered butter in a jar by the gopis but he is offended now and does not want it anymore. They are trying their best to please him but to no avail. The faces of the gopis are rounded but not fleshy; the features are sharp, the mouth small, eyebrows gently curving over almond shaped eyes. Their bodies are young and lissome, the limbs tender and the breasts full, hands and feet delicate. They wear long skirts with short cholis and diaphanous odhinis. Krishna wears a yellow lower garment and a pink scarf with a crown having pearl festoons. He also wears numerous pearl strings of various lengths in his neck.

The occurrence is set in the open ground. In the background, the river flows in sharp meanders through the small hills, plains gently receding, trees and bushes dwindling in size, the outline of the hill merging with the sky. In the distance, a palatial building can also be seen. There is a feeling of space and openness, but not such that the attention would wander from the foreground where in the midst of the lush green of the trees and the ground, Krishna and the gopis are placed.

This description by Kiranjyot

Of Related Interest:

Krishna the Divine Lover in Indian Art (Article)

The Amours of Krishna (Painting on Silk)

Krishna Dragging Radha to his Bosom (Miniature Painting on Paper)

Om Radha Krishna (Paata Painting from Orissa)