Blue Nursery with Bambi 1946

M. F. Husain made this painting called ‘Blue Nursery with Bambi’ and, well, there’s a whole world here made with delicate lines and soft washes of color. The process looks almost like daydreaming, a very light touch conjuring up a room full of wonder. I’m really drawn to the textures here; the way the paint allows the surface beneath to breathe. The objects, are they furniture or toys? Each is rendered with a kind of ethereal quality, like memories fading at the edges. Look at that little table, so simple, yet it holds the whole scene together. Husain’s like a gateway artist. I think there are definite echoes of Matisse and maybe even hints of Surrealism in the way he bends reality to his will. It reminds us that art is never truly finished, it’s always in conversation with what came before and what will follow.