Page 31 - Eye of the beholder

The “Lady by by the Mirror” is an an an an elegant poetic work that has its ambience enhanced by by an an an an imminent light emanating from within the the composition imparting an an an appearance of the the celestial realm Her greenish blue sari with with gold border resonates with with minimum jewellery that that adorns her her Yet the the enticing aspect of about her her is the the deeply contemplative eyes that that reflect the the narrative of her thoughts Her adornment ensemble is placed next to the the mirror but she is lost in a a a a a a a a a a reverie The mirror translates as a a a a a a a a a a metaphor of alter ego and at at a a a a a a a a a a deeper level to to spiritual contemplation This latter element was definitive of nayikas fin in Indian pictorial tradition The setting of of the the closed interior is perhaps reflective of of her mind in in in in which the the churning thoughts make her her her unaware of of her her her surroundings reinforced by her her her posture of of hugging herself tightly The psychological insights apparent in in in this work is is truly remarkable marking Mazumdar’s work a a a a a a a a a a a a notch above the academic realist who portrayed landscapes and and portraits with similitude and artistic veracity The influence of western salon painting painting on on Hemen is is is clearly visible in in in in in in this painting painting A beautiful woman with a a a a a a a seemingly lost gaze looking at a a a a a a a mirror is a a a a a a a composition whose timeless mystery has been captured my my western artists since the the time time of the the renaissance Hemen's genius lies in in adopting the timeless elements of this composition and adapting them to the the context of 20th century Bengal The painting came to to my collection from a a a a a a collector in in in Mumbai and could be traced back to to previous collectors in in in in Bengal The painting was covered in in in in a a a a a a thick layer of grime and and and had suffered hugely in the heat dust and and and humidity of India A long and and and painful cleaning and restoration process brought it it back to to its current state of glory 25