Maharaja Fateh Singh Hunting Female Bears 1917

Editor: Here we have "Maharaja Fateh Singh Hunting Female Bears," a watercolor from 1917, now residing at the Met. It's strikingly flat, almost like a tapestry, and yet there's a sense of depth created by the overlapping hills. I’m curious, what narratives do you see emerging from this piece? Curator: I see a layered commentary on power, gender, and the natural world, filtered through the lens of colonial influence. Note how the Maharaja and his attendant are literally elevated, perched in a tree, visually separating them from both the land and the ‘female bears’ they are hunting. This echoes a common colonial trope of man dominating nature, but there's a gendered element that demands closer consideration: Why specifically female bears? Editor: That’s interesting. I hadn’t considered the gendering of the hunt itself. Is it possible the artist is subtly critiquing this power dynamic? Curator: Perhaps. The “naïve” or "folk art" style, while seemingly straightforward, can also be read as a form of resistance. By not adhering to Western academic painting standards, the artist asserts a different cultural perspective. This visual choice subtly challenges the assumed superiority of Western artistic traditions. What do you think this tells us about the purpose of such hunts? Editor: I suppose they become symbolic then, of dominance and control, rather than simply a sport. This changes how I view the composition entirely; I'm now wondering about what the artist is attempting to reveal rather than simply record. Curator: Precisely. And by engaging with these intersectional narratives, we move beyond a simple description and begin to understand the deeper complexities of the artwork and the society that produced it. Editor: Thanks! It makes me realize how much social commentary can be embedded, even in seemingly straightforward historical depictions.