Handpainted – Matisse-Inspired – Rakta Bindu

Provenance

'Rakta Bindu' pairs a seated woman with a large red disc floating above her head. In the way of Henri Matisse's cut-out compositions, the figure, the disc and the offerings below are reduced to a few flat shapes on a quiet cream ground. The red disc, like an enormous bindi or a rising sun, turns a still domestic scene into something ceremonial.

A woman in a red sari with a gold necklace and a small gold ornament at her hair parting reclines on one arm, her gaze lowered. Around her on a deep maroon floor sit two slender lamp stands topped with red flames, bowls heaped with red powder, white jasmine-like flowers on green leaves, and scattered petals. Above her, the red disc is the largest and simplest shape in the picture.

The palette is limited to crimson, maroon, cream, white and a little gold and green, and the reds are layered in different tones so the figure, floor and disc are distinct without any outline. The cream background leaves plenty of breathing room, giving the painting a calm, devotional stillness. The paint is flat and matte, with subtle variations in the red of the disc.