Page 190 - Eye of the beholder

He has large eyes equally elongated arched eyebrows, a snarling open mouth that exposes neat rows of teeth, a moustache that is sufficiently long coming to his shoulders and a wiry beard with horns on his head and small elephantine ears. In his right hand he holds a sword and the left has a shield. The body in the shape of a white conch shell and the legs are those of a bird with sharp forbidding claws and a bushy tail. The only garment is a pair of blue short pajamas that covers his body. The right hand which holds a sword is raised in the action of full attack on Vishnu who is represented at his side. The posture of aggression is manifest in the open mouth and the raised sword.
Representation of Vishnu as a hybrid form with the half human body and the lower part melting to become the tail of the fish is quite interesting in the way the artist has attempted to visualize the composite creature as man and fish. In addition to this form of Vishnu as Matsya there is the representation of a huge tail which has been delineated by the artist on the side. Through posture, gestures and glances the furious conflict is established. Reinforcing the power of the fight are the eddying tumultuous swirls of water that in effect forms a beautiful design. This decorative pattering is an important saliency of the Basohli style of miniatures.
The lines to represent the swirling water vary in its thickness to very fine ones. The artist has taken considerable interest in conveying the eddying swirls. A thick dark line contours the outer bank of the river. Water surprisingly is delineated in bluish grey with high lights of white here and there. The scales of the tail of the Matsya are realistically rendered in shades of blue, grey and white. The green of the hills has an artificial freshness juxtaposed with pinkish brown barren peaks. The large horizontal patch of yellow in the background was a stylistic device used by Basohli artists to represent sun drenched landscape. Vishnu’s blue body colour contrasts with the flowing yellow drape with floral print and golden border against the bluish grey of the waters. The lower part of Vishnu’s body is a kind of blur with the artist making an effort to amalgam the tail and the fish eye to convey the form of Matsya. The pink of the lotus and the similar coloured garland around him provide a piquant contrast with the grey. The combination of pink and grey is truly a sophisticated one. The demon Hayagriva is painted in burnt orange with indication of black hair on his legs. The colours are in brilliant contrast with the orange blue and white. The trees in the background with blossoms of flowers in yellows, oranges and white provide a delicate alternative to the heavy forms in the foreground. In the overall composition lines and colours predominate giving it a typical characteristic of Basohli style.
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