‘Revealing Krishna: Journey to Cambodia’s Sacred Mountain’ Review: Pivoting Our View of a Sculpture

via Wall Street Journal, 15 December 2021: WSJ’s review of Revealing Krishna at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Paywalled.

Shifting a statue’s torso less than 20 degrees may not seem a big deal, but, oh, the difference it has made in a portrayal of Krishna at age 8. Made around the year 600 in Phnom Da, southern Cambodia, the life-size figure has been on display at the Cleveland Museum of Art since its 1973 acquisition. It dates from the earliest phase of Khmer stone sculpture when artists began combining imported Indian styles with a predilection for large figures in the round and features that foreshadow those of later Angkor sculptures. The museum first displayed this masterpiece as a head and torso. Then, after a 1978-79 conservation, Krishna acquired legs reconstructed from fragments also found in Phnom Da. Facing forward, the figure stood before us, beautiful and benevolent, but somewhat bland.

Source: ‘Revealing Krishna: Journey to Cambodia’s Sacred Mountain’ Review: Pivoting Our View of a Sculpture – WSJ