Neil is an accomplished sculptor who hails from Ingersoll, Ontario, and is now settled in Toronto, near Greektown. A generous sponsor, Lajput Prasher, commissioned him to sculpt Krishna and Radha out of a massive maple tree trunk for the upcoming Huntsville project.
I had the good fortune to see Neil’s work-in-progress as he’s putting the finishing touches to an 8-foot-tall Krishna. Thus far, Krishna projects a powerful presence. I’m impressed. It’s indeed rare to see a rendering of the Lord, in wood, by a Canadian, on Canadian soil.
I asked Neil if he could just enlarge the eyes a little as well as put a tiny extra smile to His face. Other than that, He looks good. It was my driver, Karuna Sindhu, who was with me and made the observation, “He looks masculine.” That is what we wanted to achieve, so I’m happy that Karuna said that. We desired a handsome Krishna to stand beside a pretty Radha.
I have expressed it before, that Krishna should not be portrayed with feminine features, which is often the case. Many artists come across rendering Him in an overly female fashion. It gets to be very overdone with make-up and fine ornaments. I’ve seen artist portrayals of Shiva and Rama as being “actual men.” I believe Krishna deserves the same treatment. I get a little tired of people asking me, “Who is that woman on the chariot with Arjuna?”
Dear artists, please do justice and fairness in presenting the Supreme.
Source: http://thewalkingmonk.blogspot.com/2022/05/tuesday-may-3-2022.html
Comments