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Enchanting and Terrifying all at once! A piece of art put down in words!
Yakshini Surasundari~ Celestial nymph(beauty) who serves Goddess Durga.
She is believed in across religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Yakshini Sursundaris are known to represent a sensual beauty, the kind that attracts men along with symbolising a sense of serenity and ultimate spirituality. ‘She’ most importantly is ‘prakriti’, a seed of the Adi Parashakti (Goddess Cosmic Energy) that created all of the universe. In the 9th C.E, the Surasundari motif/ sculpture gained significance when Shilpa Paraksha declared that without the Surasundari, no temple shall bear fruit. These motifs are found in the Khajuraho Temple and the study of Hindu Religious Arts is incomplete without ‘her’ mention.
In contrast to popular belief, the artist illustrates the ‘Surasundari’ in her rawest form. She is bold, fierce and a pure fragment of the Shakti. She is no longer the sensual figure that she is believed to be. He uses the 'gold leaf' for her eyes and the third eye is blood red. Her body is tall, firm, symmetrical and poised. The painting carries a pseudo-primitive style that engages the viewer with its own color and thought. Her starkly-bloodied tongue and teeth remind us of the Picasso style. Her nostrils are above her face and in all stillness, it still feels like her breath sustains all of cosmos. The portrayal follows traditional tantric footsteps but stares back with divinity. The artist draws upon the iconographic resources to portray Indian tradition through a contemporary lens. Inspired by Gods, Goddesses, myths, mystical existence, the painter uses symmetrical compositions and vivid colours to chant ancient folklore on a canvas.
The 15th century text Kshirarnava states that the surasundaris should be depicted looking down (adho-drishti). But the artist's portrayal is unabashed, majestic and looking right into our eyeballs. His use of colour, tone, line, structure and symmetry has the Yakshini Sursundari in the 'Rudra form'. His devotion for cosmic divinity and art is the genesis of this masterpiece. Hail the Feminine Cosmic Energy.
~Hritika Ahuja
About the Artist
My grandfather, Padma Shri. Gautam Vaghela was an artist, Director of the Weaver’s Service Centre, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India and also served with the Indian Institute of Handloom Technology. He has been awarded with the ‘Padmashree’, the ‘Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar’ and many prestigious accolades.His paintings have been exhibited across India and in countries like Paris, Brazil, London, Canada, Kuwait, Germany, and Japan. He has also illustrated several books, including Another India: An Anthology of Indian Contemporary Poets in 1997 alongside British painter Howard Hodgkin. A fellow artist and critic titled him as a ‘Revivalist Contemporary’.
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