Lady with Veena 1979

M.F. Husain made this painting of a lady with a Veena with what looks like oil on canvas, and I can almost smell the paint, can’t you? He's got these juicy strokes of ochre, sienna, red, green, and blue, that make me think he was really feeling it that day in the studio. He wasn't trying to be too precious or careful, but just letting the colors collide and play with each other. It feels like the painting came into being through trial and error, with each mark building on the last. I can imagine Husain wanting to capture the essence of the music, the feeling of the lady playing the Veena, but not wanting to get too caught up in the details. The painting is so immediate and alive, it kind of reminds me of the bold brushwork of the German Expressionists. Ultimately, this painting is about Husain's unique and embodied expression of art. It embraces ambiguity, which allows for multiple interpretations and meanings to emerge.