Untitled (Apsara)

Dressed in a diaphanous saree, decked with jewels, the female figure in this painting is drawn from Indian mythology. The apsara was often the celestial singer and dancer, the femme fatale arriving on Earth to distract ascetics. Eventually, most became victims as, mere mortals, they fell in love with the ascetics, thus preparing themselves for hardship. Be it Menaka, Rambha, or Urvashi, all experienced tragedy in some form or the other on earth. Even Ganga, though not strictly an apsara, left the land under tragic circumstances.