Shiva
This one was the model’s idea as well. We went through several bottles of blue paint. There are actually three girls here, with two of them in black standing behind. Ourselves not actually being Hindu, we had to do some research to find that Shiva actually appears in both male and female forms.
Shiva belongs to the following groups:
Body Painting Photography, Myths, Legends and Fairytales and The Artistic Nude Available for sale asGreeting Cards, Matted Prints, Laminated Prints, Mounted Prints, Canvas Prints, Framed Prints and Posters
Thomas Dodd
very cool – and I love that you did this without any editing!
Shiva is predominately male – actually – I think the deity that you are portraying here is more like his consort Kalii….(or maybe Saraswati – the Goddess of Music and Dance)
wonderful work – instant fave!
Kimberly Lennox replied
Thanks Thomas!
Actually, the Shiva we were going for is the one often pictured in a ring. The Dancing Shiva. Most of the references I found were in sculpture.
show21up
do you like indian culture and history ?
i have been to there around 1 year long before
you revive shiva today
Kiko Kairuz
well done!
Kimberly Lennox replied
Thanks!
Danielle Espin
Fantastic shot! Love it
Austin Texas
very cool
pentangled
Genius! :o)
Rita H. Ireland
Just awesome!
Paul (Quixote)...
Excellent work. I love the thought that went into it
kimbaross
Love it.
izhar alam
i like indian maithology.. paintings .. nice work
LisaB entity
you are right shiva was androgynous so to speak i think able to take whichever form … this is fabulous !!!!
Shane Shaw
amazing!
Cherie Dirksen
Completely stunning!!!
Robxavier
This amazing I love it
greenfrog153
Amazing work Kim.
L K Southward
I love that colour !
INcreations
wow , love the body paint here , great image .
Mark Peterson
Love the idea, love the blue! awesome!
cartoonjohn
well done and dreamy
Robert O'Neill
Yes Shiva is meant to be both, or neither
clickychick
gorgeous, vibrant, wonderful!
Maya -
Wow, this is a stunning image!
Mike Paget
I have thought of painting this myself – great idea
Damian
Wonderfully done! A great idea, and it looks brilliant.
lolowe
This picture is extremely cool.
Puneeta Shukl Rai
I will call it the it’s the Ardhnareshwar Natraja. and its wonderfully done…
What inspires you is the Natraja (shiva in the ring), or the dancing Shiva. The dance of Shiva is symbolic of the dynamic forces of creation and destruction, and the harmonious balance of opposites.
Shiva appears in his male form but is also known as Ardhnarishwar, which symbolizes the male aspect on the right side of the body and the female aspect on the left. The symbol of Shiva, the Shivalinga also projects the male and female genitals together, which is the origin of life.
As per Indian philosophy Shiva (consciousness) and Shakti (energy) are two corresponding equal but opposite forces.
So, ,to sum it all up, or put it my words, it’s the Ardhnareshwar Natraja.
Kimberly Lennox replied
Thank you so much for your insight! It’s wonderful to have someone who knows so much about it comment on my work. I always hope that I am getting it right, but you just never know.
phoenixreal
Wow, that is impressive. A simply astounding piece….the composure, the look, everything.
RiSH :
Its great job.
Little things you have messed up are -
Being Indian, I know Puneeta Shukl Rai is right. Shiva is a male and sometimes he is called Ardhnareshwar or comination of male and female.
When he is doing the dance you symbolized, Shiva is a male who is doing tandava nritya or devastating dance which causes mahapralay or great destruction . It is believed that after end of four yugas (a long period of time in Hindu Mythology) Shiva does this dance and ruins the earth / civilisations. Four yougs are Satya, Treta, Dwapar, Kali (These are said to be in the order of increasing amount of crime / injustice / sin that happens around the world. After last yug the world needs to be destoyed so as to build it again from scratch, to start everything in pure form again.
The crown which doesnot seem to be from Indian origin, or even if it is, it is not for religious purposes.
Also dancing Shiva (Natraja ) is mostly seen dancing on a baby.
And there are two pairs of hands and not three.
Check here : http://www.southindianarts.in/products/big/Natraja21-spl-at-base.gif
or here : http://z.about.com/d/altreligion/1/0/M/E/2/shivadance.jpg
—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—But keeping in mind, the creativity and right of expression of artist, I think this work has been well expressed.
Devalyn Marshall
Beautifully shot!
wonderjosh
Love the motion of the arms!
midnightdreamer
Absolutely BEAUTIFUL!
Peace,
Leah ♥
Naomi Downie
that was always my feeling about shiva that he was a male and female. the first time I saw a image of him I thought it was a powerful woman. so thanks for the conformation. love the work :)
Bruce Watson
A very unusual Shiva depiction indeed.
THEcaite
fantastic photography.
Shiva
very good, im impressed, well done
kapitanswing
Fantastic work.
You have made a sale!
Keep up the great work.
All the best.
earthangel
That’s brilliant – gorgeous – so worth the effort and paint.