Usha, the Goddess of Dawn

This woman with all her seductive appeal is an exotic vision of beauty. The painting done in oil on canvas is romantic in tone and suffused with feeling. The female form is the ample, full-grown beauty with a soft, sensuous look on her face. There is nothing inessential or inexpressive in this painting. One senses the interaction of the figure across space as she looks beyond the viewer. The technique of oil paints makes it come across as a flesh and blood quality.

The background in golden orange makes it look like the dawning of the sun and this beauty like Usha, the goddess of the dawn. The background also has foliage, which is naturalistically painted. The figure though does not seem to be a mortal as she stands firmly afloat a lotus pond. She barely wears any jewelry and her simple orange garment is being blown off her head and part of her shoulder. The artist does not reveal much of her but there is a suppressed sensuality in the curves of the form. Her broad face and an ample chin makes her look like the Rubanesque type. The hair cascades down her back, neatly swept back from the face.

The portrait is painted in a mature, highly sensitive and individual style. The landscape, used for dimensional effect is exotic in color and content. The overall refined treatment and extremely rich and pleasing color tones imbue the picture with great vitality.

This description by Renu Rana.