The Moonlight Meeting

A doyen of art from undivided India, Ustad Allah Bux is best known for his works on Hindu mythology—a bulk of these focussed on Krishna’s life, earning him the sobriquet ‘the Krishna painter.’ This work shows Radha and Krishna under a luminous, moonlit sky. While their jewellery and costume represent them as royals, the cows in the distance call to mind the cowherd-milkmaid love story. The halo behind the couple makes one stop and review the scene with two moons! The use of light translates to skilful portrayal of depth, and the work shows early signs of the elaborate landscape detailing that he would employ often in his post-partition phase.