Bharatanatyam Dancer — Mudra Hand Study
190.13 $
The hands of a Bharatanatyam classical dancer captured in the Alapadma mudra — fingers and wrist angle precisely formed, the traditional Bharatanatyam jewellery on the wrist and fingers, mehndi patterns visible on the palm.
Description
Bharatanatyam mudra photography isolates the expressive vocabulary of India’s oldest classical dance form — the hand gestures (hastas) that in performance communicate specific meanings from a vocabulary of 64 single- hand and 28 combined-hand forms. This close study was made during a recital preparation at the Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai, the dancer forming the Alapadma mudra — all fingers extended and spread, the thumb and forefinger meeting at the tip — one of the most visually beautiful of the asamyuta hastas. Shot at f/2.8 on a 100mm macro prime, the depth of field is restricted to the hands and immediate wrist area: the traditional vanki upper arm ornament is soft in the background, while the mehndi henna patterns on the palm and the navaratna stone rings on the fingers are sharp. The warm stage lighting provides directional modelling on the finger joints.
