Page 229 - Eye of the beholder

lower and the underside of the body and partially in the wings. The tail is long and dominantly brownish grey interspersed with striations of light brown, and this pattern is repeated in the wings. The upper part of the bird’s body is rendered with modulations of grey that varies between the shades from light to dark.
A scrutiny of the painting reveals the detailed manner in which the texture of the various types of feathers has been rendered by the artist. Against a tonal background of either yellow or grey, the artist through defined brushwork of delicate fine lines has created the soft textures to delineate the feathers on the upper side and the underside of the body. The wings have interplay of subtle tonalities of shades as well as defined lines. The light feathery touch just at the intersection where the feathers wane out and the leg becomes prominent is obvious.
Rosefinch has a heavy conical bill and slightly forked tail that makes it distinctive. Found in summer on willows along the stream and thorny bushes in geographical locations as W. Himalayas, N. Baluchistan. In winter they are found in continental and Peninsular India and Bangladesh. It is a beautiful bird and is rendered with an equal graceful representation in its pink tonalities. The common Rosefinch is stout and the mature male has brilliant rosy-carmine head, breast and rump; dark brown wings with indistinct bars, and a white-brown belly. Compositionally in its rendering, the artist has given soft tonalities as reddish pink and pastel cream. Over these with fine delicate lines in a darker shade has been worked on to give the texture of the feathers. The brush strokes vary from straight parallel lines to diagonal ones. The eye has been equally rendered realistically with a dot of white to suggest the light as caught in the pupil. Admiringly all the three birds have been delineated with care and concern for its character, that it is possible to identify them with ease.
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