Reincarnation, Nirvana and the Body Electric at the Cleveland Museum of Art

CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER
By Steven Litt

OHIO---The impression is unforgettable, mysterious and powerful. As you enter the “glass box” gallery at the southern tip of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s new West Wing, your eye latches onto an 11th-century Chola Dynasty bronze sculpture from India, entitled “Nataraja, Shiva as the King of Dance.” The work, set against a 16-foot-high wall of glass, represents the Hindu deity of destruction and procreation as he whirls in a dancelike pose within a ring of fire representing the sun. Even if you know nothing of Hinduism, it’s easy to sense the spiritual energy of this remarkable sculpture. It’s a major highlight of a trio of galleries in the museum’s new West Wing devoted to Indian and Southeast Asian art. [link]