The Elements Of Lord Krishna

The elements of Lord Krishna, put together in a visual compendium of colours and pregnant motifs. A parchment of green forms the backdrop of a bundle of musical instruments. It is reminiscent of the luxuriant forests of Vrindavan where the Lord had spent His adolescence. The scroll laterally rolls inward; together with the powdery texture of the paint, it makes a statement of age and gentle degeneration that paper is naturally prone to.

The yellow-keyed piano dominates the foreground. It cuts across the parchment, a curious amalgam of string and wind laid on a piece of red velvet at its head. The blue, red, and orange that dominate this part of the painting are all natural colours of the vivid North Indian landscape, set off by the yellow of Lord Krishna’s robes seen in the majority of His iconography. A fair, flesh-coloured wisp protruding from one of the instruments resembles a mudra (gesture) of the hand of the Lord.

A pair of tabla flanks the piano. Bright orange and purple make up the bottom half of the painting, reinforcing the seductive infusion of pastels in the composition. Indeed, Lord Krishna is associated with youth and fervour and colour, all of which are integral parts of this work of art. Finally, the bit of peacock plumage on the top right-hand corner completes the Krishnaleela ethos.