The Pensive Lady

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This luxuriant oil from the Exotic India collection is layered with visual tonalities that are bound to engage all who gaze upon it. A pensive, almost sombre lady rests on the palace swing, her troubled gaze directed ahead of her but at nothing in particular. Her attire betrays both her wealth and her youth - warm orange saree teamed with a delicate pink blouse, brocaded and woven with studded gold booties. The swing in her chamber is just spacious enough to accommodate her petite frame. It is cushioned with luxurious green velvet and brocade, the bolster she rests her arm on in a matching dusky blue and gold. Thick brass chains, punctuated by ornate motifs, hold the swing in place.

On the contrary, the background is decidedly Stygian. An imposing red curtain looms over the darkness, while a dull unlit pillar dominates the other half of the backdrop. An unsettling pitch-black shadow lies beyond the pillar and the curtain. The blackness matches the stance of the lady in the foreground. Her partially revealed countenance bears a composure of discomfiture. The angle of her gold jhumka reveals that she is about to turn her lovely face away. Her lashes are long, the tips of which almost touch her roseate cheek. A miniscule bindi, as becomes a pre-bridal beauty, sets off the tender arch of her brow. Her nosering is heavy, just like the maangtika that covers the entire length of her flawless temple. The jet-black wisps that frame her young face emerge from a luscious mane that has been parted, where rests the gold maangtika, and braided down the length of her spine all the way down to her hips. Her superbly thick braid is held in place by streams of gold, the emeralds on the tasselled headpieces the same as the one tying the ends of her tresses together.

Her limbs are long and gracious. The floweret on her gold amulet looks great against the florals on the brocade of her blouse. A single gold bangle, thick in terms of proportion, graces her exquisite wrist. In her hand - and this is the most unusual detail present in the painting - she holds a peacock feather that serves as her fan. Its brilliant blue centre is rimmed with the gracious gold colour found in minute quantities in nature. The green of the rest of the feather has a sheen that rivals the glimmer of the emerald on her finger. The stance of her lower limbs is no different - with one feet going over the other and touching the floor beneath the swing, her entire body is wrought with an unspoken anxiety. Note the plethora of jewels studded in the gold of her heavy anklets, which look like they would fall off her tender feet as she walked.

Oil painting technique – India centric

Oil painting is the most interesting technique in art. Unlike other paintings or art forms, oil painting is a process in which colored pigments are painted on the canvas with a drying oil medium as a binder. This medium helps colors blend beautifully to create layers and also makes them appear rich and dense. Several varieties of oil are used in this painting such as sunflower oil, linseed oil, etc., and depending on the quality of the oil, a particular consistency of the paint is developed. With the use of an oil medium, the painting gets a natural sheen on the surface which appears extremely attractive. India is famous for its old tradition of making oil paintings. This art form was brought by Europeans in the 18th century and is now practiced by almost all well-known artists. Nirmal, a small tribal town in the state of Telangana is the center of traditional oil paintings in India where the local people practice it with dedication. Most Indian artists still use the traditional technique of oil painting.

Canvas of the required size is prepared

The artists use either a wood panel or canvas made from linen or cotton. Sometimes the canvas is stretched onto the wooden frame to form a solid base, or cardboard may be used. The canvas is coated with a layer of white paint or chalk mixed with animal glue. This mixture is then smoothed and dried to form a uniform, textured surface. The wooden panel is more expensive and heavier but its solidity is an advantage in making detailed paintings with ease.

Sketch is drawn on the canvas

Now the artist starts to draw the subject of the painting on the canvas using the actual charcoal or a charcoal pencil. Sometimes, he may sketch with thinned paint as well.

Oil paint is applied using paint brushes or palette knives

Now that the rough sketch is prepared, the artist is now ready to paint. Oil paint, a special paint that contains particles of pigments suspended in a drying oil (usually linseed oil), is again mixed with oil to make it thinner for applying it on the canvas. Proper consistency of the paint is maintained to avoid its breakage. The most important rule for the application of oil paint is “Fat over lean” in which the first layer of paint is thin and later, thicker layers are applied. This means that each additional layer of paint contains more oil. This results in getting a stable paint film. Traditionally, paint was applied using paint brushes but now the artists also use palette knives to create crisp strokes. To paint using this technique, the edge of the palette knife is used to create textured strokes that appear different from that of a paintbrush. Sometimes, oil paints are blended simply using fingers for getting the desired gradation.

Smaller oil paintings, with very fine detail, are relatively easier to paint than larger ones. The most attractive feature of these paintings is the natural shiny appearance that is obtained on the surface because of the use of oil paint. The blending of colors looks extremely realistic and this is the reason why oil paintings are loved by everyone throughout the world.