Untitled (Self Portrait) 1986

This untitled self-portrait was made in 1986 by M.F. Husain, and you can almost feel the speed of his brush in those confident lines. I'm thinking he worked fast with this one, not labored, but quick. I wonder what he was contemplating as he looked in the mirror. His expression is somewhat meditative, and his brushstrokes are simple, like shorthand. It's a dance of ochre and reds, framed in gold, with that incredible white beard flowing like a river. The paint looks pretty thin and watery—it’s like he's stripping away all the excess. Husain's got his own way of abstracting, and I imagine it’s born from his deep connection to both Indian and Western art. Painting is really just a big conversation across time. Each of us listens, responds, and adds something new. It's like we’re all holding a brush, trying to make sense of what we see and feel.