B. Prabha (1933-2001)

The daily struggle of women and the trauma of their lives is the long standing theme running through Prabha's oeuvre. It was only after her marriage to B. Vithal that she came into her own distinctive style of painting exemplified in this work. She believed that the struggle started from birth with the fight to be born - as boys are preferred in many social circles. She came to Mumbai from the village of Bela, near Nagpur, and therefore was fully aware of village life.
One of the girls holds onto the other for support and stares straight out engaging, captivating and drawing the viewer closer to her difficult life. The elongated figures are inspired by the likes of Paul Kle©. Other Impressionist artists had their influence upon Prabha but the coloring and choice of subject matter are fully Indian.