Untitled

This Untitled work from the 1970s by F. N. Souza suggests the viraat rup (the omni form) of Vishnu. The artist shows the motifs related to the episode—the trademark sudarshan chakra (discus); the abiding image of the creator reclining on anant shesh (a throne-bed made of the coiled body of Shesh the serpent); the god’s other attributes, including the mace, conch shell, lotus blossom. The fact that Souza rarely painted Indian mythological episodes or scenes makes this work priceless even as the attention to detail on the motifs, and the storytelling are tremendous.