The theme of the painting done in oil on canvas is not
novel but much celebrated in medieval Indian
devotional literature as an expression of Radha's love
for Krishna. The dark Krishna and the golden fair Radha
are ceaselessly brought into juxtaposition with
Krishna goading shy Radha to come to him.
In a milieu of royal splendour, Krishna is seated on
a huge white cushion with golden cords. His pious
foot rests on a similar cushion. He is dressed in
pitamber (yellow garment), and a crown with a
peacock feather stuck in it. He wears a long garland
of roses. Radha, dressed in a beautiful rose pink
saree and a brocade blouse is wearing extraordinary
jewellery consisting of necklaces, head jewellery and
ornamented waist belt. She stands shyly in front of
Krishna, holding a fly whisk in one hand and holding an
end of her saree in another. Standing in tribhanga
position, she is the epitome of grace with her body
curving at three spots - knees, waist and the head.
There is an expression of longing on the faces of
Radha and Krishna - restrained due to shyness in the
former, bold and blatant in Krishna.
Awestruck by the intensity of emotion between the two
lovers, the sakhis can do little but stare at them.
They are dressed in ghagras and cholis of bright colours
and wear beautiful ornaments.
The background shows that the scene takes place in
the palace. The casket and a cup lie in a tray in the
foreground. The blue of the sky beyond the window and
that of the foreground frame other brilliant hues
used in the garments of the sakhis, the blue body of
Krishna, yellow clothes, red garland etc.
This description by Kiranjyot
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Of Related Interest:
Krishna as Aristocrat (Miniature Painting on Paper)
Oil painting technique – India centric
Oil painting is the most interesting technique in art. Unlike other paintings or art forms, oil painting is a process in which colored pigments are painted on the canvas with a drying oil medium as a binder. This medium helps colors blend beautifully to create layers and also makes them appear rich and dense. Several varieties of oil are used in this painting such as sunflower oil, linseed oil, etc., and depending on the quality of the oil, a particular consistency of the paint is developed. With the use of an oil medium, the painting gets a natural sheen on the surface which appears extremely attractive. India is famous for its old tradition of making oil paintings. This art form was brought by Europeans in the 18th century and is now practiced by almost all well-known artists. Nirmal, a small tribal town in the state of Telangana is the center of traditional oil paintings in India where the local people practice it with dedication. Most Indian artists still use the traditional technique of oil painting.
Canvas of the required size is prepared
The artists use either a wood panel or canvas made from linen or cotton. Sometimes the canvas is stretched onto the wooden frame to form a solid base, or cardboard may be used. The canvas is coated with a layer of white paint or chalk mixed with animal glue. This mixture is then smoothed and dried to form a uniform, textured surface. The wooden panel is more expensive and heavier but its solidity is an advantage in making detailed paintings with ease.
Sketch is drawn on the canvas
Now the artist starts to draw the subject of the painting on the canvas using the actual charcoal or a charcoal pencil. Sometimes, he may sketch with thinned paint as well.
Oil paint is applied using paint brushes or palette knives
Now that the rough sketch is prepared, the artist is now ready to paint. Oil paint, a special paint that contains particles of pigments suspended in a drying oil (usually linseed oil), is again mixed with oil to make it thinner for applying it on the canvas. Proper consistency of the paint is maintained to avoid its breakage. The most important rule for the application of oil paint is “Fat over lean” in which the first layer of paint is thin and later, thicker layers are applied. This means that each additional layer of paint contains more oil. This results in getting a stable paint film. Traditionally, paint was applied using paint brushes but now the artists also use palette knives to create crisp strokes. To paint using this technique, the edge of the palette knife is used to create textured strokes that appear different from that of a paintbrush. Sometimes, oil paints are blended simply using fingers for getting the desired gradation.
Smaller oil paintings, with very fine detail, are relatively easier to paint than larger ones. The most attractive feature of these paintings is the natural shiny appearance that is obtained on the surface because of the use of oil paint. The blending of colors looks extremely realistic and this is the reason why oil paintings are loved by everyone throughout the world.
