Ardhanarisvar
| Support Type: | Paper |
| Paint Type: | Watercolor |
| Current Location: | National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi |
| Location History: | Created in the artist's home within the Tagore family household (Jorasanko Thakur Bari, Calcutta), largely from the 1900s to 1920s Passed down through family or close circles by direct descent, since several of her known works are documented in auction records as coming from family collections, such as the Kishore Chatterjee and Maitreya Chatterjee Collection Entered the exhibition circuit starting around 1922, when Stella Kramrisch and the Indian Society of Oriental Art began showing her work in Calcutta, later in Germany in 1927 Acquired later by public institutions such as the National Gallery of Modern Art and Indian Museum, or retained by private galleries such as DAG, through donation or purchase in the twentieth century |
Art work 'Ardhanarisvar' gives the vivid example of the combination of masculine and feminine energies. It is depicted as the being who is split into two halves – Shiva and Parvati. It is interesting to point out how many differences can be seen here, when it comes to colour, clothes, accessories, hairstyles and facial features. These things create the impression of harmony and balance, which is conveyed by the serene facial expression. In my opinion, the main idea of the work is that there is no opposition between masculine and feminine energies, but their equal part of one entity. Lotus flowers and typical traditional accessories make the work more spiritual and symbolic. What I like about the picture is that it conveys the idea of equality, unity and significance of balance in life. The style of the work is really laconic and clear.