Bharata Natyam-Dance of the Gods- a fusion of artistic styles - fine art oil on canvas by ragunath (variant AND7108043)
Dance of the Gods- a fusion of artistic styles
Bharata Natyam is one of the oldest dance forms of India. It was nurtured in the temples and courts of southern India since ancient times. Later it was codified and documented as a performing art in the 19th century by four brothers known as the Tanjore Quartet whose musical compositions for dance form the bulk of the Bharata Natyam repertoire even today. The art was handed down as a living tradition from generation to generation under the Devadasi system under which women were dedicated to temples to serve the deity as dancers and musicians forming part of the elaborate rituals. These highly talented artists and the male gurus (nattuvanars) were the sole repository of the art until the early 20th century when a renewal of interest in India's cultural heritage prompted the educated elite to discover its beauty. .
Today Bharata Natyam is one of the most popular and widely performed dance styles and is practiced by male and female dancers all over India. Due to its wide range of movements and postures and the balanced melange of the rhythmic and mimetic aspects lends itself well to experimental and fusion choreography.
The fusion of graphic single tone imagery with the lively, colorful rendition of the smiling danseuse combine to give the illusion of the Lord Nataraja himself finding expression through the dancer, thus highlighting the oneness of God and his Creation. The distinctive colours and bold strokes of oil on canvas bestow an early Impressionist veneer on the painting and contribute to overall effect of unification of the deity and the dancer through the divine dance.
Bharata Natyam is one of the oldest dance forms of India. It was nurtured in the temples and courts of southern India since ancient times. Later it was codified and documented as a performing art in the 19th century by four brothers known as the Tanjore Quartet whose musical compositions for dance form the bulk of the Bharata Natyam repertoire even today. The art was handed down as a living tradition from generation to generation under the Devadasi system under which women were dedicated to temples to serve the deity as dancers and musicians forming part of the elaborate rituals. These highly talented artists and the male gurus (nattuvanars) were the sole repository of the art until the early 20th century when a renewal of interest in India's cultural heritage prompted the educated elite to discover its beauty. .
Today Bharata Natyam is one of the most popular and widely performed dance styles and is practiced by male and female dancers all over India. Due to its wide range of movements and postures and the balanced melange of the rhythmic and mimetic aspects lends itself well to experimental and fusion choreography.
The fusion of graphic single tone imagery with the lively, colorful rendition of the smiling danseuse combine to give the illusion of the Lord Nataraja himself finding expression through the dancer, thus highlighting the oneness of God and his Creation. The distinctive colours and bold strokes of oil on canvas bestow an early Impressionist veneer on the painting and contribute to overall effect of unification of the deity and the dancer through the divine dance.
Nominal size: approx. 46 cm (W) X 61 cm (H) (18 X 24 in) (unframed)
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