| Story Text | [{"record_id":"0","storytext":"Among the early artists to be trained at the Madras School of Art, Archibald Hermann M\u00fcller's German heritage or southern upbringing did not constraint his depictions of northern and western Indian courts or of his evocation of oriental themes in a European academic style. The scene here is an intimate one that shows a bejewelled woman in a translucent sari gazing into or at an object, illuminated by a soft light from behind that highlights her face and form, while the room around her recedes into shadow. This interplay of light and texture demonstrates M\u00fcller\u2019s remarkable technical finesse and command over his medium. At other points in his career, M\u00fcller painted Usha, the goddess of the dawn who features in the Bhagavata Purana<\/i> as the wife of Aniruddh, Krishna\u2019s grandson. The similarity of the composition of this work to others that he titled \u2018Usha\u2019 indicates that this depicts Usha identifying a portrait of her beloved.","storytextauthor":"","initialize":"true"},{"record_id":"1","storytext":"A slender young Usha sits at ease on a low couch, one leg tucked under the other, one elbow resting on a knee. The inner sides of her arms and her face glow in the light of a lamp or candle concealed to her right. The intimate nature of the scene is immediately apparent, but much else is uncertain, as details are only half visible in the suffused light.","storytextauthor":"","initialize":"true"},{"record_id":"2","storytext":"The couch with its short circular feet and large cylindrical bolster, suggests an Indian courtly interior. There are strange carvings on the wooden columns in the background that lend mystery to the setting of the scene. The perfume bottle or rose water sprinkler between her feet again suggests an elite household, but the objects around it are indistinct.","storytextauthor":"","initialize":"true"},{"record_id":"3","storytext":"In 1910, M\u00fcller moved to Bombay and began to work on Hindu mythological scenes in the manner of Ravi Varma. A close parallel among his contemporaries is with the work of M.V. Dhurandhar of the Bombay School, who similarly painted mythological scenes in oils, and sketches from life in watercolour. M\u00fcller also began to explore the western regions of India, including present day\r\nMaharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan.","storytextauthor":"","initialize":"true"}] |
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| Art Artist Names Single | A. H. Müller |
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