Untitled

M. F. Husain, inarguably India’s most well-known modern master, was self-taught. Though he developed his own unique idiom, artist-teachers N. S. Bendre and D. D. Deolalikar provided a young Husain with some informal training in Indore before he moved to Bombay. From Bendre, he learnt to paint from everyday life. In this Untitled canvas, Husain captures a sarod player in action. The tilak on his forehead suggests he is a Vaishnav, a devotee of Vishnu. However, he doesn’t seem to be playing for an audience but for personal gratification; the tilt of his head suggesting his total immersion in the act.