Basreliëf met Krishna verhaal in Candi Panataran aan de westzijde. Possibly 1867

Isidore Kinsbergen created this photograph of a bas-relief depicting a Krishna narrative at Candi Panataran, its west side, capturing a moment frozen in time. The play of light and shadow across the stone texture gives the sculpture a tactile presence, inviting a sensory exploration of its form. The composition here uses a stark contrast between the sculpted figure and the dark background, emphasizing the three-dimensional quality of the relief. Kinsbergen’s choice to frame the sculpture in this way highlights not just the mythological content but also the formal structure of the artwork itself, a kind of language encoded in stone. Consider how the semiotic structure of this piece operates. The seated posture and serene expression of Krishna, the accompanying figures, the halo behind the sculpture, the rough texture of the stone: all serve as signs within a cultural code. The act of photographing this bas-relief becomes an act of interpretation, a translation of ancient symbols into a modern visual language. Through this photograph, Kinsbergen invites us to consider how these forms create and communicate meaning, bridging the gap between past and present, representation and interpretation.