M. F. Husain painted the subject of Bhishma lying on a bed of arrows—one of the epochal moments in Mahabharata—in several of his paintings, revealing the pain of the grandsire of the Kuru clan who had the boon of choosing the time of his death. The figure, weak and defeated, lies on a bed of arrows that have pierced him in the battle in Kurukshetra, his body glowing from the burning violence around him. The blue signifies Ganga, Bhishma’s, who seems to embrace her dying son.
published references
Singh, Kishore, ed., Mumbai Modern: Progressive Artists’ Group, 1947-2013 (New Delhi: DAG, 2013), pp. 70-71 Singh, Kishore, ed., Navrasa: The Nine Emotions of Art (New Delhi: DAG, 2020), pp. 156-57
M. F. Husain
Untitled (Bhishma)
Oil on canvas
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M. F. Husain
Untitled (Bhishma)
Oil on canvas
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