Handpainted – Matisse-Inspired – Kaliya Nritya: Krishna on the Serpent

Provenance

'Kaliya Nritya' shows Krishna playing his flute as he dances on the coils of a serpent, painted as a few strong, flat shapes against a pale cream ground. The subject is the well-known episode of Krishna dancing on the serpent Kaliya, here translated through Henri Matisse's cut-out way of working, with big, simplified forms and no modelling. The balance of the single figure and the curling forms beneath him gives the painting its lift.

Krishna is shown in blue profile with a topknot, a ring-shaped earring and long dark hair streaming behind him. He holds a long flute to his lips, with one hand on his hip, and balances on one foot with the other leg crossed. A saffron lower garment and a saffron scarf flutter around him. Below him, maroon scrolls and olive leaf-like shapes rise and curl at the left and right, forming the stylised coils of the serpent and giving the figure a rhythmic, almost floral base.

Cobalt blue, saffron, maroon, olive and cream make a strict palette, with the blue figure standing out against the cream and the maroon grounding the base. Edges are clean and flat, with gaps of cream showing between shapes like cut paper. Subtle texture in the cream ground and the softly uneven paint keep it clearly hand-painted. The pale ground is left open around the figure, which gives the pose room to move.