Genesis
- Michel
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
A Thread Through Creation
Some paintings announce themselves loudly. Others take their time, waiting in the quiet until the right moment arrives. Genesis was one of those patient ideas. For months, it lived in my thoughts as a vague curiosity about beginnings. Not the explosive kind, but the gentle unfolding that precedes all creation.
I've always been drawn to origins. That first moment when something shifts from thought into form. When chaos finds its rhythm. When silence becomes sound. These questions feel both universal and deeply personal, which is probably why they keep pulling me back.
For this piece, I found myself exploring Hindu cosmology, not from a place of religious practice, but from genuine fascination with its visual language. The intricate geometry, the balance between stillness and motion, the way each symbol carries layers of meaning. It offered a vocabulary that could hold what I wanted to express.
Why Vishnu?
I initially sketched Shiva, the destroyer and transformer. His cosmic dance felt appropriate for a painting about creation. But as the work developed, I realized I wasn't painting about endings or rebirth. I was painting about what holds everything together.
That's when Vishnu emerged. The preserver. The sustainer of cosmic balance.
In Hindu tradition, Vishnu maintains the universe between cycles of creation and destruction. He doesn't ignite the spark or bring the final dissolution, he holds the space in between. That tension between beginning and continuation felt closer to the genesis I was after. Not a big bang, but a sustained breath.
I gave him six arms, each performing a different mudra. These hand gestures, used in meditation and classical dance, became the stations through which creation flows.
The Language of Hands
Mudras are fascinating. Each gesture carries specific energy and meaning. They're like a silent vocabulary, speaking through shape and position rather than words.
In Genesis, each hand holds a moment along the journey of creation:
Jnana Mudra touches the first point: awareness itself, the recognition that something can begin.
Varada Mudra opens in offering, the generous hand that gives form to possibility.
Abhaya Mudra rises in protection, steadying what has been brought forth.
Dhyana Mudra rests in meditation, the stillness at creation's center.
Vitarka Mudra teaches and clarifies, bringing order to what was formless.
Ksepana Mudra releases, the final gesture where thought becomes matter.
I didn't assign these meanings rigidly or expect viewers to decode them. They're meant to be felt more than understood. Together, they create a visual rhythm, a kind of painted mantra.
Following the Thread
A golden thread connects everything. It begins with a needle held delicately between Vishnu's fingers and flows through each mudra like a line of intention moving through time.
The thread passes through a small puppet, a human figure, suspended and fragile. But it doesn't end there. It continues onward, gathering meaning with each gesture, until it reaches the final hand.
Vishnu's gaze follows the thread itself, not the puppet, not the cosmos unfolding around him. He watches the connection. The continuity. The line that holds everything in relation.
For me, that thread represents something essential about creation. It's not about the thing being made, but about the intention that links one moment to the next. The invisible line that connects thought to form, silence to sound, beginning to middle to whatever comes after.
Geometry as Foundation
Behind Vishnu, the universe breathes. Planets float. Colors dissolve and reform. Space feels both infinite and intimate.
At the center of this cosmic dance, sacred geometry provides structure. Circles intersect. Patterns echo the Flower of Life. These shapes aren't decorative, they're foundational. They suggest that beneath apparent chaos, there's an invisible order. A mathematics of existence.
I'm drawn to this idea that creation isn't random. That even in the most fluid, undefined moments, something steady holds the rhythm. Something we can't always see but can sense when we pay attention.
A Respectful Distance
I want to be clear: I approach Hindu symbolism as an artist, not a practitioner. My intention wasn't to depict a deity for worship, but to explore a question that belongs to everyone, regardless of belief.
Where does creation begin?
How does nothing become something?
What holds it all together?
These aren't religious questions exclusively. They're human questions. Artist questions. The same curiosity that drives a painter to face a blank canvas drives a scientist to peer into the origins of the universe.
Whether you're making a painting, starting a project, raising a child, or simply trying to understand your place in the world, you're engaging with creation. You begin with awareness, move through uncertainty, and end up with something that feels both yours and larger than you.
Room to Breathe
I try to leave space in my paintings. Room for silence. Room for your interpretation to meet mine somewhere in the middle.
Some viewers might see Genesis as a meditation on divine order. Others might see it as a reflection on human creativity. Some might notice the puppet and think about control or fate. Others might focus on the thread and think about connection.
All of these readings feel valid to me. I'm not interested in prescribing meaning. I'm interested in creating an image that invites you to pause, to look, to wonder.
If Genesis raises more questions than it answers, I think it's doing what it's meant to do.
What is the meaning of the six mudras in Genesis?
Each mudra represents a stage in the creative process: Jnana (awareness), Varada (offering), Abhaya (protection), Dhyana (meditation), Vitarka (teaching), and Ksepana (release). Together they form a visual meditation on how creation unfolds.
What does the golden thread symbolize?
The golden thread represents intention, continuity, and the invisible connection between thought and form. It flows through each mudra and continues beyond the human puppet, suggesting that creation is an ongoing process.
Is Genesis a religious painting?
While Genesis draws on Hindu symbolism, it's intended as a universal exploration of creation and continuity rather than a religious depiction. The painting invites viewers of all backgrounds to contemplate how things begin and what holds them together.
What is the Beyond series?
The Beyond series is Michel Devanakis's ongoing collection exploring mythology, cosmos, spirituality, and transformation through contemporary figurative art. Each work reimagines ancient symbols and stories for modern audiences.
Genesis: Technical Details
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 110 × 80 cm (43.3"×31.5")
Year: 2025
Series: Beyond
Price & Status: 3.500 Euros / Available for acquisition
This painting is part of my Beyond series, which explores themes of mythology, cosmos, transformation, and the mysteries that exist just past the edge of what we can see.
Original works from the “Beyond” series are limited — secure your opportunity to add this cosmic reinterpretation of myth to your collection.
🎨 Original Oil Painting (110 x 80 cm / 43,3"x 31,5) - Price: 3.500 Euros One-of-a-kind artwork from the Beyond series. Inquire here and make it yours!
🖼️ Limited Edition Prints Museum-quality giclée prints signed by me available here!
Comments