Shiva

2019
Acrylic, Mixed Media on Canvas
Dimensions: 12 x 12 in

Collector’s Notes

Composition:
At the heart of concentric rainbow-hued spirals rests a meditative figure of Shiva — serene, balanced, and eternal. The circular structure of the painting mirrors the cycles of creation, preservation, and dissolution, reminding us that life itself flows in rhythmic continuity.

Color & Light:
The spectrum of colors radiating outward reflects nature’s abundance and the wholeness of existence. The warm reds and oranges suggest fire and transformation, while the cooler blues and greens evoke calm and protection. Together, they create a visual mandala where balance emerges from apparent contrast.

Medium & Texture:
The artist employs acrylics, marble powder, and paper to enrich the work with tactile depth. The spirals, dotted with rhythmic accents, invite viewers into a meditative experience, echoing the vibrations of sound and energy that Shiva embodies.

Style & Story:
Rendered as a contemporary spiritual abstraction, Shiva celebrates the festival of Maha Shivratri — the triumph of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance. At the center, Shiva appears as the Mahayogi (the great meditator), accompanied by his sacred symbols: the damru (drum of cosmic sound) and the trident, representing will (iccha), action (kriya), and knowledge (gyaan).

Emotional Connection:
The piece offers more than visual delight — it serves as a meditative focal point, inviting collectors into a space of stillness, reflection, and alignment. By contemplating its spirals, one is drawn inward, toward harmony and inner strength.

Context & Significance:
Painted in 2019 as a personal offering during Maha Shivratri, Shiva is both devotional and universal. Beyond cultural symbolism, it speaks to the balance every human seeks — between doing and being, action and contemplation, creation and release.

Message from the Artist

This work was my attempt to engage with the complex dualities embodied by Shiva — destroyer and creator, ascetic and householder, fierce and compassionate. In painting him, I was less interested in literal depiction and more in evoking the energy of paradox that he represents.

The textures and layering became metaphors for these contradictions: harshness intertwined with grace, stillness with movement. To me, Shiva embodies the truth that life’s cycles of dissolution and renewal are not opposites, but parts of a single continuum.

In creating this piece, I felt I was also painting an inner landscape — those moments when we must allow something to end so that space can open for the new. Shiva is both a reminder of impermanence and a hymn to transformation.