<p>A lecture-demonstration on ‘The dance of Siva: The Nataraja bronze Coomaraswamy’s legacy and archeometallurgical and stylistic insights’, by Sharada Srinivasan was held recently at the Bangalore International Centre. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Sharada Srinivasan, an expert in the field of archaeological sciences, analysed the mystery behind the cosmic dance of Siva and the bronze statue of Nataraja.<br /><br />Many archaeologists, students as well as art historians attending the lecture. Though complex for a first-timer, the lecture threw enough light on the use of bronze throughout various periods in the history of India. Sharada explained the methods used for bronze casting and the drawbacks of these processes. She also highlighted the method used by her to find out the exact period to which the bronze dates back to. <br /><br />“The synthesis of art, technology and devotional poetry in the Chola period was very fascinating and unique. Art historian Coomaraswamy revitalised the craft of bronze casting and documented it exhaustively. He studied steel making and the various processes of bronze casting,” she says.<br /><br />She went on to explain the meaning of the dance saying that the gestures represent shrishti, sthiti, samahara and anugraha. “A lot of these bronze items were cast over several centuries and had no inscriptions on them. Most of these statues were meant for worship and hence it was a huge problem to tell which period the bronze came from. <br /><br />Solid casting process was followed in the Southern part of India, whereas in northern India, the hollow tin casting process was adopted,” says Sharada. The scholar also showed the interpretations of many other art historians like Kamil Zvelebil and K V Soundaraja who had talked about the origin of the word tandava. She then moved on to describe the pancha loha icons.<br /><br /> “These icons are not always made with five types of metals. It consists of all the five metals in different quantities. When it was examined, it was found out that they had some sporadic quantities of silver and gold in these icons,” he explains. <br /><br />Anita, a student who attended the lecture, says, “Her experience in this field is huge and she has done an elaborate study on the subject. There is no better person to explain the Nataraja and the use of bronze in the country than her.” <br /><br /></p>
<p>A lecture-demonstration on ‘The dance of Siva: The Nataraja bronze Coomaraswamy’s legacy and archeometallurgical and stylistic insights’, by Sharada Srinivasan was held recently at the Bangalore International Centre. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Sharada Srinivasan, an expert in the field of archaeological sciences, analysed the mystery behind the cosmic dance of Siva and the bronze statue of Nataraja.<br /><br />Many archaeologists, students as well as art historians attending the lecture. Though complex for a first-timer, the lecture threw enough light on the use of bronze throughout various periods in the history of India. Sharada explained the methods used for bronze casting and the drawbacks of these processes. She also highlighted the method used by her to find out the exact period to which the bronze dates back to. <br /><br />“The synthesis of art, technology and devotional poetry in the Chola period was very fascinating and unique. Art historian Coomaraswamy revitalised the craft of bronze casting and documented it exhaustively. He studied steel making and the various processes of bronze casting,” she says.<br /><br />She went on to explain the meaning of the dance saying that the gestures represent shrishti, sthiti, samahara and anugraha. “A lot of these bronze items were cast over several centuries and had no inscriptions on them. Most of these statues were meant for worship and hence it was a huge problem to tell which period the bronze came from. <br /><br />Solid casting process was followed in the Southern part of India, whereas in northern India, the hollow tin casting process was adopted,” says Sharada. The scholar also showed the interpretations of many other art historians like Kamil Zvelebil and K V Soundaraja who had talked about the origin of the word tandava. She then moved on to describe the pancha loha icons.<br /><br /> “These icons are not always made with five types of metals. It consists of all the five metals in different quantities. When it was examined, it was found out that they had some sporadic quantities of silver and gold in these icons,” he explains. <br /><br />Anita, a student who attended the lecture, says, “Her experience in this field is huge and she has done an elaborate study on the subject. There is no better person to explain the Nataraja and the use of bronze in the country than her.” <br /><br /></p>
