Kali - Watercolour on Paper

Lakshmi - Watercolour on Paper, 22" x 9.3"

The artist hails from Bengal. This painting is a watercolour done on paper lined with fabric, for enhanced durability. The painting is done in Bengali folk style. 

The subject of most folk paintings are gods and goddesses. Goddess Kali is considered as the divine protector and the bestower of moksha or liberation. She is principally a destroyer of evil forces. There are many depictions of Kali - one with four arms and hands  showing aspects of creation and destruction and one with ten arms and hands as Mahakali. There are several interpretations of the symbolism behind the commonly represented image of Kali standing on Shiva's supine form. A common one is that Shiva symbolizes purusha, the universal unchanging aspect of reality, or pure consciousness. Kali represents Prakriti, nature or matter, sometimes seen as having a feminine quality. The merging of these two qualities represent ultimate reality.