Blue Nursery with Bambi 1946

M.F. Husain made this painting, Blue Nursery with Bambi, with watercolor, pen, and ink on paper. Looking at this, I’m wondering what Husain was thinking, and how the work came into being. The painting depicts various pieces of furniture, all adorned with a consistent pale blue hue. The palette creates a dreamlike atmosphere, making me feel calm and contemplative. Each piece is subtly decorated with naive imagery of animals and pastoral scenes, which gives the work a playful energy. What stands out for me is the way Husain has applied the watercolor. See how he uses thin washes to create a transparent effect, allowing the underlying paper to subtly influence the color? There's a tenderness in the application, a sensitivity to the material that really speaks to me. It's as if he’s caressing the surface, building up layers of color and image. Husain plays with a kind of symbolic abstraction, where recognizable forms are simplified and stylized. It makes me think of the early modernist painters who were exploring the boundaries of representation, trying to capture something beyond the surface appearance of things. It's a conversation that continues to inspire me in my own work.