Prasarita Padottanasana
Celeste GroenewaldCeleste Groenewald translates the physical mechanics of yoga into fluid strokes of gouache, focusing on the structural tension and release of a body in motion. This landscape study captures the grounded symmetry of a wide-legged forward bend, treating the human form as an evolving architectural puzzle.
Prasarita Padottanasana
Celeste Groenewald translates the physical mechanics of yoga into fluid strokes of gouache, focusing on the structural tension and release of a body in motion. This landscape study captures the grounded symmetry of a wide-legged forward bend, treating the human form as an evolving architectural puzzle.
35 × 28 cm · about ⅕ the width of a 3-seat sofa
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Prasarita Padottanasana
Celeste Groenewald
Art Analysis
From the artist, Celeste Groenewald
Gouache on paper | 2019 | I'm interested in the way bodies move and change during yoga flows; this is a figure drawing challenge I find interesting and satisfying.
The rhythmic geometry of a body in mid-flow
In this vibrant gouache study, Groenewald explores the specific geometry of the Prasarita Padottanasana pose. The artist leans into the 'figure drawing challenge' of the yoga flow, using a rich palette to trace how muscles lengthen and weight shifts. Rather than a static portrait, the work feels like a record of a moment caught between breaths, where the paper holds the concentrated energy of the practitioner’s alignment.
The use of watercolour and gouache allows for a soft yet deliberate application of pigment, mirroring the balance of strength and flexibility required by the subject. By stripping away extraneous detail to focus on the silhouette and its internal shifts, Groenewald invites the viewer to appreciate the body not just as a shape, but as a changing vessel defined by its own movement and discipline.
The artist focuses on the specific ways limbs and torsos rearrange themselves during the physical demands of a yoga sequence.
The use of opaque and fluid pigments highlights the changing tension of the body through bold, saturated color.
This piece approaches the human form through a lens of movement and exercise, moving beyond traditional static posing.
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