by Jurate Macnoriute ..........
Indian culture, one of most ancient cultures of the world, held our attention firstly for well known Hinduism's asana or, in other words, some manner of sitting. Partly "posture" became so regarded term with great favor exactly for this same asana used in the practice of Indian Yoga. Thus we may think in ancient India postures were highly appreciated, and it is interesting how various postures function in their art.
Let us begin from stand poses. Sometimes anatomical position (a posture in which the body stands upright with arms extended by its sides, palms rotated forward, and feet resting flat upon the floor) was applied for monuments of gods, earthly princes, or some other spiritually advanced beings (Shantinath. Varaval (Sind), 1238. Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay; Parshvanath. North India, 1150. Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay; Gommateshvara. Shravanabelgola, Karnataka) (Fig.16). In that way Indian artists wanted to say how majestic and undisturbed is their representational person. Pose in Fig.16 can be associated also with haughty attitude of posture high stand display and loom.
Fig.16. Gommateshvara. Shravanabelgola, Karnataka
How may we describe appearance of sculpted person (Fig.16)? If Egyptian masculine and feminine heroes were thin, strong and manlike, Indian ones pleasingly plump, with especially fat femur part. Gommateshvara body's constitution sooner similar to female, if shoulders should be a bit narrower. In Fig.17 it is difficult to distinguish which from two figures is male. We may bring to a close that ideal Indian figure was soft and womanly displaying warmth or affection, opposing to Egyptian.
My own presumption of determinant of that phenomenon is Indian artists' the effortful attempt to represent human bodies lively, realistically. Their anatomical knowledge was poor enough, and they represented fat human bodies, because thin body made with imperfect anatomy looks too schematic and unnatural.
Fig.17. The Marriage of Shiva and Parvati. Pratihara, 10th century. Etah, Uttar Pradesh. Bharat Kala Bhavan, Varanasi, India.
Fig.18. Portrait of Gomateshwara Statue
Indian sculptures' facial beauty also has this same property -- fatness, wrinkleless, full lips, large eyes, youthful. Facial expression always is serene. Lips always compressed, but not tightly. Sometimes human face is changed into some animals', most often elephant's -- Gomateshwara Statues head has similar to elephant's ears.
Full open smile is not characteristic for Indian personages, but often the corners of the mouth curve upward showing joy and swimming in pleasures of life.
Comparing with unvaried Egyptian, Indian expression of eyes are more characterized by variety. We meet eyes opened normally, with narrowed lids, with gaze down, closed, or bulged.
Fig.19. Sacred Area. Keep Out. A Temple Guardian in Tamil Nadu.
We meet some examples of guardians' heads with tongue show (Fig.19). In contemporary psychology tongue show signifies disagreement, disbelief, disliking, displeasure, or uncertainty in very light manner. But in time that has elapsed long ago, smile together with tongue showed gestures daunting. For us the guardian's head seems highly funny.
Display arm show takes place often in dance scenes or postures that sprung up from motions related with dances. Ancient Indians' liking of arms show was so great that a lot of deities or earthly persons got more than two arms (Fig.20) (Vasudhara. Nepal, 14th century. Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay; Incarnations of Vishnu. Alagarkoil, Madurai; Five-headed Shiva. Kambittari Mandapa, Minakshi Temple; Goddess Riding a Bird. Airakkal Mandapa, Minakshi Temple; Shiva Nataraja. Minakshi Temple Museum; A Dwarapalaka (guardian or gate keeper); Goddess Saraswati in a Tanjore style painting; Vajrapani. East of inner entrance Monastery 1, Ratnagiri; Shrine Guardian. 14th century. Svayambhu Temple, Waranga).
Fig.20. Vasudhara. Nepal, 14th century. Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay.
Arm cross was not popular in Indian art, because that posture is used to alleviate anxiety and social stress. Ancient Indian artists looked at human relations, conflicts, ugliness, and evil, through their aesthetical requirements, expression of negative emotions gave a dose of beauty and goodness and some poses carrying strong negative feelings appeared outside their art.
For that same reason signs in stressful, emotional, or physically demanding situations, like asymmetrical tonic neck reflex are not noticed in Indian art with exception of images of archers (Kameshvari. Chaunsath Yogini Temple). This same with posture bend away, cut off.
Posture body bend is met commonly in erotic art. Eroticism is an important part of Indian aesthetical attitude.
Various love scenes free from any idealization were liked in art of India very much, and they are met even in temples. Manifestation of posture bow is frequent in erotic scenes again. In Fig.21 we see the scene of courtship (touch cue).
Fig.21. Lovers, sculpture from a Khajuraho temple
Gesture hands behind head signifies negative attitude like uncertainty, conflict, disagreement, frustration, anger, or disliking. In Indian interpretation (Fig.22) we notice softening of negative feelings in an erotic manner.
Fig.22. Female Figure with Attendant. Chandella, 11th century. Khajuraho. Bharat Kala Bhavan, Varanasi, India.
Posture hands on hips speaks about body's preparation to act. Creature's frightening away impression (Fig.23) is achieved by fist on hip, turned head with woman's arm in his maw, bent the left knee and foot strongly standing onto stone and some small human being. Difference in sizes of large creature and small people, his victims, fortifies consternation of the creature. Attribute snake and wear band with long hanging ends also are objects arousing fear. His stand pose as if shows that creature appropriates that territory.
Fig.23. Varaha. Gupta, Early 5th century AD. Cave 5, Udayagiri, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Yet one example of demonstration of possession of property in Fig.24. Woman's foot hefted onto animal's back shows that she is or pretends to be owner of the animal (touch cue).
Fig.24. Durga with bell. Ambika Mata temple, Jagat.
Gesture head tilt side signifying friendliness and sweet day dream often used in Indian art (Fig.25). One cause of it was liking of dancing poses when body receives form of "S" curve and head together becomes tilted side (Fig.28).
Fig.25. Bodhisatva with a Lotus in Hand. From a Cave Painting in Ajanta -- 5th Century A.D.
Balance cue especially noticed in Indian sculptures representing dancers (Fig.26) balancing on a foot.
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Fig.26. Shalabhanjika. East Gate, Sanchi; Shiva Nataraja. Chola period, 11th - 12th century. Government Museum, Madras2
The woman pulling out splinter from her tread does high precise body movement and expresses the precision grip (Fig.27.1. Surasundaris. Ambika Mata temple, Jagat). Characteristic for Indian sculpture torsion of body had its development in art of the Renaissance, partly in Michelangelo's. That body movement also can be called self touch tactile sign.
Man's hands holding a sheet states about the decision grip (Fig.27.2. A Courtier in Akbar's Durbar. Moghul Miniature Painting). The wider decision grip or power grip we see in Fig.27.3 (Man Fondles Two Women on a Swing. Mysore Traditional Painting). It can be interpreted as touch cue too.
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Fig.27. Examples of Indian precision and decision grips.
Gesture point upwards by Shiva Bhikshatana (Fig.28) could be a predecessor of well known gesture of Saint Joan in the Renaissance art (Leonardo da Vinci).
Fig.28. Shiva Bhikshatana. Kailasanatha Temple, Kanchipuram
Mostly characteristic for Indian culture meditation sit posture (Fig.29.1) intends anti-gravitation (feet upwardly), odd legs cross makes barrier against environment, face and arms relaxed, eyes closed showing rest and drown in sleep. Individual closes itself in its inside and terminating any communication. We can call lotus posture self-isolation.
In Indian arts we find various cases of sit. In Fig.29.2 more free sit pose -- half lotus when one leg is free. A foot on the ground touches (touch cue) lying child what can mean that large figure appropriates the person on the ground. This sculpture expresses dualistic idea of ideality with deity on the right and earthly communication with surrounding world on the left. In Fig.29.3 sit pose yet more free, straddling legs on the ground. Fig.29.4 shows sit position of primates.
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Fig.29. Examples of Indian sit postures. 1. Seated Buddha. 11th century. Ratnagiri Museum; 2. Seated Bhairava. Chaunsath Yogini Temple; 3. Brahmani. Madhya Pradesh, 11th century; 4. Bracket Figure. Cave 16, Ajanta Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay.
Lotus posture contains self touch tactile sign. That sign seen in all four illustrations of sit pose (Fig.29).
Gesture palm up is often met (Brahmani. Madhya Pradesh, 11th century. Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay(Fig.26.3); Avalokiteshvara. West of inner entrance Monastery 1; Ratnagiri, Balarama. Sasbahu temples, Nagda; Brahma the Infinite Spirit; Brahma. Sasbahu temples, Nagda; Emperor Babur. From a Mogul Miniature Painting; Sarasvati. Sasbahu temples, Nagda; Seated Tara. Detail from a Bodhisattva statue West of inner entrance Monastery 1, Ratnagiri Vajrapani. East of inner entrance Monastery 1, Ratnagiri; White Tara. Nepal, 17th century. Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay). Lotus pose also contains gesture palm up.
The touch cue is frequently met in sculptures and painting of figures groups (Lovers, sculpture from a Khajuraho temple; Man Fondles Two Women on a Swing. Mysore Traditional Painting; River Yamuna. South inner wall and entrance. Monastery 1, Ratnagiri; Shiva and Uma. Aihole, 7th century AD. Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay). In Fig.30 we see example of the touch cue. Like in Egyptian art children are depicted as small adult people.
Fig.30. River Yamuna. South inner wall and entrance. Monastery 1, Ratnagiri.
In ancient Indian art the body movement walk is infrequent and have three kinds. The first one seems vastly natural and fits for soldiers, guardians, etc (Fig.31).
Fig.31. Lord Indra riding Iravat brings Parshwanatha home, much to the joy of the people. Mural from a Jain Muth, Sravanabelagola, 18th Century
The second kind of walk is something intermediate between stand and walk as we see in Fig.27.2 and Fig.32., also Temple Guardian from a wall mural in Karnataka. Such figures seem free from weight and as if lingering in air. In Fig.32 self touch tactile sign is seen.
Fig.32. An Indian of African Origin. From a Deccan Miniature Painting
The third kind of walk is as if dancing with one vastly bent knee (Fig.33). Such walking dancers are similar to flame and with a rush run to one side and upwards.
Fig.33. A Dwarapalaka (guardian or gate keeper).
Dominating emotions are happiness and love. Negative ones are vastly infrequent. Among relationships rapport is dominating.
Status signal dominance is represented giving different sizes to figures and placing main figure into centre (Avalokiteshvara. West of inner entrance Monastery 1, Ratnagiri; Durga. Ambika Mata temple, Jagat; Jain Savior. Jain Complex, Osian; Lord Buddha from a Sarnath temple painting. Painting shows Buddha undisturbed by the evils and pleasures of life), main figure larger and in the forefront (Brahmani. Ambika Mata temple, Jagat), main figure larger and sits facing subordinate personages (Education of Jain monks and Sanyasins), subordinate personages small and beneath (Harihara. Harihara Temple 3, Osian; Kubera. Ambika Mata temple, Jagat).
Case of isopraxism, copying a gesture of other, is infrequent and met mostly in scenes of parades when guardians go in this same manner, but such movement is not free (Lord Indra riding Iravat brings Parshwanatha home, much to the joy of the people. Mural from a Jain Muth, Sravanabelagola, 18th Century).
