Halftone Religious Objects
SHIVA NATARAJA
Watercolor woodblock print
13" x 13" (33 x 33 cm)
The dancing form of Shiva, called Nataraja or Lord of the Dance, shows the Hindu deity Shiva in his form as the cosmic dancer, the source of all movement in the universe. The stylized gestures of the dance represent Shiva's five activities: creation, preservation, destruction, concealment, and revelation. Surrounded by a ring of flames that signifies the cosmos, Shiva dances away the world of illusion and ignorance and transforms it into enlightenment and eternal serenity.