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Maqbool Fida Husain was deeply inspired by village life which he idealised as being close to the essence of Indian sensibility. His humanity shines through in his dignified portraits. "Husain's men and women, outwardly simple and unsophisticated, are highly conscious beings. They are conscious of being channels through which life runs its course. Very often they are caught listening and intent upon that flood within them, tense because of what they hear, with eyes of solemn curiosity and a mantle of silence around them. Even in groups, sitting or standing together, these men and women are supremely solitary. They do not communicate with each other. They remain locked in a binding compassion, in a unity of colour and composition divided by a wonderously understanding line." (S.S. Kapur, Husain, Lalit Kala Akedemi, New Delhi 1961, p. v)