Untitled

This image of two young boys, clinging to each other with what appears to be some shared grief, is imbued with pathos, not just in the stance of their lithe, frail bodies but also in the monochromatic tone of the work. Rendered by B. Prabha in her signature stylisation—of graceful, elongated figures presented nude in a gender-fluid manner—the most striking aspect of this oil is an unknown tragedy that has preceded the sense of resignation with which the boys sit. It could be the loss of a dear one, perhaps, a parent, their sole bread winner. Mumbai-based Prabha was a sensitive modernist whose work captured the intangible yet intense emotions felt by ordinary people as they went about their daily struggles, of which this Untitled work is a poignant example.