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拍品专文
The Mahabharata, one of the most widely known Hindu epics, details the cosmic civil war between forces of right and wrong through the internecine strife between the warring factions of the Kuru lineage: the Pandava and Kaurava cousins. Converging on themes of morality and duty, the epic prefaced the founding of ancient India, and includes the Bhagavad Gita, one of Hinduism's most sacred texts.
Stories from this ancient Indian epic have stimulated visual artists in India for several centuries, and find prominent place among Husain's many sources of inspiration. Since 1971, when he painted a suite of twenty-seven Mahabharata canvases for the 11th Bienal de São Paulo, including this painting, Husain has revisited and contemporised the characters and themes from the Mahabharata in his work on several occasions. "In his quest for new modes of artistic expression, the artist has found transcendent imagery, compelling visions, and universal significance in the Mahabharata." ('Epic India: Paintings by M.F. Husain', Peabody Essex Museum website, accessed January 2014)
This vivid, early canvas depicts the character of Draupadi, the wife of the five Pandava brothers. Arjuna, portrayed next to her holding his bow and arrow, beat several suitors in an archery competition to win Draupadi's hand. On his return home, he was asked by his unknowing mother, Kunti to share his 'prize' with his four brothers, Yudhisthira, Bhima, Nakula and Sahadeva, who also feature in this painting. Having sworn never to disobey Kunti, Arjuna acquiesces, and Draupadi marries each brother.
In the epic, the fate of the young and faultlessly beautiful Draupadi is frequently subject to the whims and actions of other characters like Kunti and her five husbands. Here, Husain has chosen to magnify the figure of Draupadi in relation to these other characters, particularly the Pandava brothers who famously lose her to the Kauravas in a game of dice in another well-known episode of the Mahabharata. This departure by the artist from the original texts of the epic underlines the complexity of Draupadi’s character, presents her as an agent of her own fate, and highlights her central role in development of the narrative.
Stories from this ancient Indian epic have stimulated visual artists in India for several centuries, and find prominent place among Husain's many sources of inspiration. Since 1971, when he painted a suite of twenty-seven Mahabharata canvases for the 11th Bienal de São Paulo, including this painting, Husain has revisited and contemporised the characters and themes from the Mahabharata in his work on several occasions. "In his quest for new modes of artistic expression, the artist has found transcendent imagery, compelling visions, and universal significance in the Mahabharata." ('Epic India: Paintings by M.F. Husain', Peabody Essex Museum website, accessed January 2014)
This vivid, early canvas depicts the character of Draupadi, the wife of the five Pandava brothers. Arjuna, portrayed next to her holding his bow and arrow, beat several suitors in an archery competition to win Draupadi's hand. On his return home, he was asked by his unknowing mother, Kunti to share his 'prize' with his four brothers, Yudhisthira, Bhima, Nakula and Sahadeva, who also feature in this painting. Having sworn never to disobey Kunti, Arjuna acquiesces, and Draupadi marries each brother.
In the epic, the fate of the young and faultlessly beautiful Draupadi is frequently subject to the whims and actions of other characters like Kunti and her five husbands. Here, Husain has chosen to magnify the figure of Draupadi in relation to these other characters, particularly the Pandava brothers who famously lose her to the Kauravas in a game of dice in another well-known episode of the Mahabharata. This departure by the artist from the original texts of the epic underlines the complexity of Draupadi’s character, presents her as an agent of her own fate, and highlights her central role in development of the narrative.