Untitled (Devdas Series) 2002

Editor: Here we have M.F. Husain’s "Untitled (Devdas Series)," painted in 2002 with oils and acrylic. The color palette feels very warm, but also somewhat unsettling with those ambiguous shapes. How do you interpret this work, particularly considering Husain's other paintings? Curator: It's interesting that you find it unsettling; the warmth, for me, is the key. Note how Husain evokes a distinct emotional resonance, leaning into established Hindu iconography, here transformed into a Bollywood narrative. It feels like a deconstruction. Where do you see this ambiguity most clearly? Editor: Perhaps in the faceless figures and how they’re posed – they hint at familiar scenes, but are not fully realized. The drums, the gesture of the hand. Are these specific to the Devdas story? Curator: Precisely. These gestures aren’t just generic expressions of sadness or joy. Think of hand gestures, *mudras*, in Hindu iconography, and how they translate into emotional and narrative cues. Also note the use of the drum which connects to themes of celebration, mourning, the cycle of life and death. Husain utilizes them to deepen our emotional and psychological engagement with Devdas's story. What feeling do you think he wants to leave us with? Editor: I see the symbolic connections you mean, the film references, but also older cultural meanings, repurposed here. Perhaps he wants us to reflect on how classic narratives get retold, gaining and losing significance with each generation. The emotional warmth lingers despite the faceless figures, maybe a reminder of enduring themes despite the changes. Curator: Exactly. This dialogue between cultural memory and individual experience is what makes Husain's work so captivating. There is continuous emotional continuity.