Beelden van Shiva als Nataraja en Parvati (?) in de Minakshitempel c. 1895 - 1915

This photograph captures the Shiva and Parvati statues in the Minakshi Temple. It’s an anonymous work, so we can really just focus on what's in front of us, how the image makes us feel. Look at the texture, the surface of everything. It's got that great silver gelatin feel. The artist seems to have really reveled in capturing the material essence of these sacred objects. The garland around the statues are soft and heavy, while the metalware at the bottom of the image is precise and gleaming. My eye keeps going back to those statues, the way the light catches the details of the figures, and the little, dangling droplet shapes. The artist isn’t trying to be photorealistic, but something much more evocative. I'm put in mind of the symbolist painters, Klimt in particular. There's a similar focus on detail, and also that use of texture to suggest a reality beyond the everyday. It all feels really open, and invites us to bring our own interpretations.