Dialogue by Mark:

Wow, with all this talk about hands...check out the hands on this incredible sculpture in our Master's Gallery. It is called Siva as King of the Dance!

This bronze statue was made in India a thousand years ago. India is a very ancient land. There's been over 5,000 years of civilization in India. Over many centuries, Indian culture has been based on the Hindu religion and way of life.

Siva is a Hindu diety, a holy figure in the religion. He is often shown dancing...a dance of celebration, or a dance showing that nothing in life stands still...everything is spinning and moving. In this sculpture he is dancing in a ring of fire. His hands are graceful and expressive.

In ancient India, the arts were all related to one another. An artist like the sculptor who created this statue was also expected to be a painter and a musician and a dancer, too. To be really good at one form of art, a person had to learn many others. Super thanks to the Cleveland Museum of Art for sending this Imagination Station Masters' Gallery image.