Untitled (Krishna)

Sunayani Devi maintained that her paintings were the expression of a dream world. Born to the Tagore family of Calcutta, Rabindranath Tagore’s niece painted for a span of fifteen years, taking inspiration from the epics. Here, she depicts a jewellery-adorned Krishna playing the flute. The simple painting is without guile, an expression of her intent that translates beautifully into an image of the cowherd god with a white halo to signify his divinity. His hair is pulled back behind his head, and the shapely eyes accentuate his beauty. The sharp lines, roundness of face and delicate brushstrokes are emblematic of her style.