Review of the Ancient Hindu Statue, Shiva Nataraja

The Dancing Shiva is a statue of the Hindu god Shiva, the lord of creation and destruction. In this sacred and famous sculpture, the Shiva is positioned inside of what appears to be a ring of fire, in which the flames contain images of figures. Shiva gives the impression of being in the middle of some type of movement and is standing on his right foot on top of a dwarf. Shiva's left leg is elevated to the level of his hip and his knee is bent at forty-five degree angle tilted inward. The Shiva's four arms are extended outward, all in different positions, while his hair seems to be flying out to the sides. His earlobes are stretched and hanging down, and the expression on Shiva's face is very inviting. There are snakes embracing Shiva around an arm and the crown upon his head. There are jewels that embody his ankles, legs, arms and stomach, and there are symbols that wrap around the arms. Shiva is wearing a loincloth; with a ribbon tied above the waist and delicate ornaments hanging, revealing Shiva's perfected body.

This piece of art is cast in bronze and created by the lost wax technique and stands thirty-two inches tall. It includes irregular three-dimensional forms that appear organic in shape and linear elements that are seen in the form of the Shiva itself. The space is divided on the sculptures central axis that lines up the nose, navel, and insole of his right foot; thus creating an equilibrium for the statue. The figures structure and form are designed to be looked at from the front, but if viewed from behind, any religious person would understand the figure and what it is depicting. In this piece the forms within are intertwined directly with the idea. His limbs are all positioned in a manner to convey means of Hinduism. The style of the sculpture falls under the Bhakti, devotional, movement in south India that focused on an ideal relationship between humans and deities. The sculpture encompasses the Bhakti movement with its depiction of an idea in ancient texts, Shiva in his dance of destruction.