125th Anniversary Acquisition. Alvin O. Bellak Collection, 2004
'The Gods Sing and Dance for Shiva and Parvati' by Khushala (late eighteenth century), located at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It offers a visual and spiritual feast through the brushstrokes of seventeenth-century Indian painters. Born of a great painting dynasty of the renowned Nainsukh and heir to the courtly style of the Kangras of Himachal Pradesh, Khushala brings together the serenity of 'Pahari' traditions with that divine grandeur which made these miniature paintings such a sought after and influential genre.
Shiva and Parvati repose amid this lush green paradise while above them deities in a celestial orchestra and chorus celebrate with a dynamic dance. The painting provides a window into that sublime era, portraying probably, the celebrations that followed the wedding of Shiva and Parvati. This is an expression of a celebration and that a celebration about unity. All the individual elements of the composition; people, animals, plants fall into a seamless rhythm that sings across the picture surface.
The painting opens onto an open field surrounded by a verdant, gently rolling terrain. In the foreground lies a pond whose placid expanse of grey is flecked with pads of lily and blossom of pale pink. A bridge of a wide, gleaming green plateau rises to meet the divine spectacle above and lies serenely bordered by the gentle rise of rolling hills. This is no harsh and untamed wilderness nor a formal garden, but a paradise where nature is shaped into a serene landscape of pastoral perfection.
In the far distance, below a tree abundant with flowering branch, that spread like comforting shelter over the canvas top, are to be seated shiva and Parvati. Shivas form of white ash colour gives evidence that he is, at that moment, a great, ascetic god. His long, hair falls over the two wide shoulders covered in ash. Serpent are wreathed round his limbs; and he also possesses the 'third' eye, though it does not feature on the surface of the skin; however, a suggestion of it's presence above the nose creates an other -worldly effect. He is seated with relaxed ease, attentive to those on view for his delectation. Close beside him sits his consort, Parvati, resplendent in skirt of saffron and gold interwoven with designs; his veil, of deepest crimson, hangs low. Her form has all the elegant curves bestowed by kangras artist upon both heroes and gods equally. In essence, they are an icon of perfect companionship rather than power.
A brilliant interplay of dancers in the open space is introduced by the dancing women in the center that draws between these central lovers and the divine participants further up the composition; their movement can barely suggest itself at their edges. The first, whose deep violet skirt swirls around her body, dances in a quick step and she turns. The second spreads arms wide in graceful arch whilst pale yellow cloth flows after her; her posture create a temporary break in the calm horizontal rhythm of the landscape with cross diagonals, her movement creates of the empty floor of Meadow as a stage. She and her dance companion do not only perform, they make dance floor vibrate.
To the right comes celestial procession. The sheer quantity of musicians can create a problems, even though so tightly contained into the painting itself. However, by bending his musicians' arrangement backward into space, Khushala creates the impression that the entire procession is so large it disappears out of view into distance. Their stringed instruments create a harmonious blend with the drums and cymbals; faces are turned upward with song. As the assembly moves toward distance, the colours merge and softly dissolve; pink, cream and gold blend together. Only glimpses can be caught through foliage of the last instruments. Such masterful illusionist art brings an element of wonder as if the music continues beyond the boundaries of painting, outside space and time. Landscape is as much 'party' to celebration.
Grazing deer on the slopes of distance foreground are totally oblivious to the celestial gala in their midst. Their innocency lends a refreshing touch of lightness to composition. Trees of diverse type and form are arranged throughout the space and offer pauses that visually frame composition and lead viewer's eye from place to place. We have drooping willow tree of the right, clump of fuller trees in the distance, canopy of flowering branches in the center. There is nothing merely ornamental; everything falls in line to bring together animals, men and Gods under single, unifying heavenly sky. Colour in this celebration plays not so much role of decorator, as that of essential part of music, for here Khushala's scheme of color works just like a music composed for' raga. Soft greens, muted golds, palest violet and warm pink combine with tones that appear somewhat softer than those which might have been applied to less serene scene. Even most exuberant hues in garments appear toned down and subdued by overall composition. Touches of gold on the jewelry of dancers and embroidered cloths add a welcome accent of brightness, but always within the harmony of whole.
What sets apart this work and makes it memorable is Khushala's bold re-conception of Shiva's divine power: he re-casts the destroyer god, that wild hermit who dwells amid cremation grounds and mountaintops as king and center point of jovial, well ordered courtly gathering. The earthly courts and those on high do meet here - their musicians sing their songs, their dancers do entertain them, their plants flower richly round them, and the god-king presides over them all. As the Philadelphia Museum of Art states: The Entertainment of divine court is mirroring that of worldly courts, implying that a language of visual representation is available to convey both perfect kingship and perfect order'. What is most distinctive about this painting is that there is nothing in it that fights or struggles or causes us distress. The lilies and pink on pond go untouched, their reflection mirroring peaceful scene above. Deer graze undisturbed on hillside. The dance step is effortlessly performed; the musicians dissolve, carrying song with them. Shiva and Parvati sit in perfect, harmonious state, god and wife as ideal partners, perfectly blended. Khushala's work of genius brings together each fragment of this tiny piece of paper to suggest the all –pervasive cosmic unity. There is a perfect dance of all creation where no part is absent.
In the painting The Gods Sing and Dance for Shiva and Parvati, Kushala presents divinity as joyful, intimate and richly ceremonial. Shiva and Parvati appear not as distant cosmic powers but as a harmonious royal couple, watched and celebrated by a lively gathering of divine musicians and dancers. The painting suggests that spiritual life is not only austerity and meditation, but also music, festivity and love. Its lush courtly style turns devotion into spectacle, making divine union feel both sacred and warmly human.
