Untitled

M. F. Husain’s work appealed to people for its directness and simplicity. Known as a painter of horses, his muse was the Indian woman riding on the back of an ancient civilisation. This resulted in a cultural richness that he paid ode to in his paintings. The strong lines that feature in the figures of the two women here, separated by age, as seen in this Untitled painting, segued by a singing bird, alludes to their role as performers—a category of people who enthralled him for their ability to pass on their talent from one generation to the next.