One of the great things I appreciate about art is how it can profoundly have an effect on many people in different ways that are meaningful and influential. A piece of art can have breakthroughs in relevant revolutions where it can interpret the way a certain struggle can be justified. Most of the time, when something like this happens, we immediately realized how we are part of something bigger. Whether it’s because it was God’s intent to unite us or the revolutionary movement of humanity reflecting what Mother Nature has always shown us. The tough love that is needed to better evolve and how everything is connected in various manifestations when it comes to our ecosystems in different societies. Because of this complex environment, is the reason why we are egotistical creatures by always trying to make proof that our culture and where we come from is like no other and par to none. This observation was very evident when I visited the Saint Petersburg College’s art gallery located at the Clearwater, Florida campus.
While I was glazing at the many wonderful art pieces our student body created I could foresee how advanced humanity has become as a whole. Then I see this astounding painting reaching for some type of swords that were more like levitating from a pair of hands pointing up and down from left to right and standing with one leg while the other was lifted and reaching across the other leg in a trance posture. As I got closer, I realized I was looking at Franklin Fraze’s ‘Shiva’ painting.
The Hindu influenced painting is mesmerizing and reminds you of the powerful influence the Hindu culture inhibits. The painting itself is made of black and white colors contradicting the color from each side its on. Here, Shiva is seen standing on top of another sphere resembling the female and male human body. This magnificent view inspires to the creation of mankind and Shiva is their maker. The swords on Shiva’s left and right arms are pointing in the opposite directions from top to bottom. This, I took it as symbolizing the protection and force of Shiva’s might and I could not ignore the resemblance to the way we are brought up in my life. We are taught to protect the just and destroy injustice; to a certain extent, of course.
Beliefs like these are the reason why they are found being so persuasive to make some want to worship with action like praying; especially, when it’s passed down from generation to generation occupying much of the knowledge while growing up. The Shiva painting itself has a timeless feeling that makes you wonder of the enlightenment Shiva has acquired. In the painting, Shiva’s head is made of another sphere. Just like the sphere that Shiva’s standing on resembling the male and female human body, except that Shiva’s sphere is filled with a shadow of a halo floating right in the middle of it and hovering over a base on the bottom of the circle. This powerful symbol makes obvious the timeless resemblance to Shiva’s enlightenment.
In class, I learned that in Hindu culture, the ‘Lord of the Dance,’ is called Shiva as Nataraja. The Shiva as Nataraja is shown dancing by balancing on one leg on top of a dwarf resembling ignorance. Though I felt offended by Franklin Fraze’s decision to represent humanity as ignorant I could not ignore the fact that it was true in more ways than none. The foolishness and ignorance of mankind have destroyed civilizations and sacrificed the innocent in more ways than one can possibly think of. This is why I also felt compassion and truth to this painting. Knowing that something that can show you tough love and bluntness every so often can help one feel more humble whenever taking oneself for granted.
Then there are those who take their worshipping rituals to the next level. Those from religious cultures, like Hindus, consider some statues to be holy and are then treated like a living being. Some, like the Shiva as Nataraja, are clothed, covered in jewels, and as far as given foods to eat. The worshippers believe any type of contact with the deity is in contact with the divine. It gives me melancholy how something of matter can be worshipped when thinking of my past catholic influence when I was young. In the gallery’s painting, however, I had a different experience. The painting shows that the sphere the human symbols are in is shaded dark with white darts pointing against its own sphere and inside Shiva’s sphered head shows it filled with a white shade and black darts pointing against itself. Personally, I took this meaningful detail.
The almighty Shiva is considered enlightened and all powerful. Maker and destroyer of the universe. Shiva is radiant energy, shaded white, with struggles and bad fortune not able to reach Shiva because of its dominant power. Unlike us, we are born to survive, to struggle and to achieve and every once in a while we get thrown a bone, white darts pointing at us in the picture, and realize how every struggle and achievement is all worth it in the end. I am very lucky to be so positively influenced in my school and hometown. Culture is an important value when identifying oneself. Sadly, there are so many cultures that we’re scared to explore that we sometimes easily judge them before getting to know what the impact in life has been influenced them.
Not many agree, but I think that one day there will be a common culture that most of the world will practice and celebrate. Although, there may be no struggle in cultural shocks like it’s seen in today’s day and age I do believe however that much of the important pride and diversity understandings of various cultures will be very much missed. Hopefully, paintings like Franklin Fraze’s Shiva will still be around to reflect and identify what is really important. That is where we come from and where we’re going not forgetting all those who helped us get here in the first place.