Untitled

A.A. Raiba’s interest in women as a subject ran deep and the time he spent in Kashmir in the late 1950s informed his practice in those years. This portrait, made during this stint, embodies his characteristic style in which bold lines frame the woman’s face with her clothes. The oval face has a Madonna-like quality and the eyes hide deep secrets—a characteristic Raiba trait in which he lets his subjects hold on to their innermost feelings and thoughts without wanting to divulge them to the viewer.