Untitled

The occurrence of human figures, particularly women, in the works of Sunil Das, was a rather disturbing comment on the way women are treated by the society. Often identified as a ‘prostitute’, the artist’s female protagonist was, perhaps, his muse ‘Neera’. Art writer Manasij Majumdar explained, ‘The “Neera” of these canvases is a rather lower class woman—even if not plain looking, she is by no means a beauty… Sometimes she is alone, sometimes in the company of an elderly lover.’ In this painting, the protagonist seems to be comforted by a maternal figure even as she stares straight at the viewer.