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Forest Animals

Photo: Scott Leen

Forest Animals

2009

Kamlesh

Indian

In this forest abode, an array of animals is visible: elephants, giraffes, antelopes, and tigers that peek their heads from behind trees. Completed in the Madhubani style of painting originating from the Mithila region of Bihar of north India, this painting retains the style’s expressive and strong brushstrokes. Mithila paintings are consistently two-dimensional—neither horizon lines nor perspectival lines are attempted—so the animals appear flat and seem to float across the painting. The spaces around their heads are brimming with flowers and foliage, creating much visual interest.
Acrylic paint, paper
Painting: 30 x 22 in. (76.2 x 55.9 cm)
Frame: 33 1/2 x 25 3/8 in. (85.1 x 64.5 cm)
Gift of David Szanton on behalf of the Ethnic Arts Foundation
2021.32.22
Provenance: The artist or Mithila Art Institute; purchased by Ethnic Arts Foundation, Berkeley, California, 1977-2014; to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 2021
Photo: Scott Leen
location
Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing [on view July 28, 2022 - Jan. 8, 2023].
Published ReferencesSzanton, David L. and Malini Bakshi. Mithila Painting: The Evolution of an Art Form. San Francisco: Ethnic Arts Foundation, 2007.

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