MAQBOOL FIDA HUSAIN (1915-2011)

A common theme in Husain's paintings is the village women of rural India. "He captures in their postures and lineaments their distinctive ethos and culture -- the Maharashtrian woman as distinguished from her sister in Kerala, the Rajasthani herdsmen from the Andhra peasant. Not by physiognomy or costume alone are they differentiated, but in their total bearing and presence." (E. Alkazi, M.F. Husain: The Modern Artist and Tradition, New Delhi, 1978, p. 22)