Saraswati — Body Painting at FABAIC 2012 with Kryolan Aquacolors

"Saraswati, Goddess of Knowledge" — painted on May 24 at FABAIC 2012

by Christoper Agostino www.agostinoarts.com

For my first demonstration painting at the Kryolan booth at the Face and Body Art International Convention this year, I chose a design to fit the convention’s Bollywood theme. Saraswati is a goddess of knowledge, a very ancient figure of Indian mythology, named after a river. This body design is derived from a more complex one I have yet to paint, which includes some of the intricate linework of the face and body art for the Theyyam Festival in the Kerala region of India. That complexity is only alluded to here in simplified form in the face design. This body painting is done with Kryolan’s Aquacolors, including Interferenze Copper and Bronze.

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The image of Saraswati that I used as a basis for my painting comes from a work of art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (who have a phenomenal website full of art objects from their collection). An excerpt from the accompanying text on their website: “the benign and beautiful goddess of knowledge, was shared by all the ancient religions of India. She is one of the few goddesses to have a Vedic source; her name, “Flowing One,” alludes to her origins as the personification one of the ancient rivers of India, the now-lost Saraswati. Through her embodiment of learning she has come to be identified with the arts, music, speech, and poetry; hence her attributes are the vina and the book. She has a classically proportioned figure with full breasts, a slender waist, and a pale complexion (described as “white” in the shastras). The setting of swirling clouds and waters suggests her river origins.”

This photograph of a dancer being painted for the Theyyam Festival, from Karl Gröning's book "Body Decoration" has been a great source of inspiration for me.