In this portrait of my husband, I wanted to do a master study of the works of Nainsukh, an Indian miniature painter active in the 18th century. My focus was particularly drawn to his depiction of Raja Balwant Singh of Jasrota.
I encountered Nainsukh's work for the first time in Amit Dutta's 2010 film, in which several film stills were directly inspired by his paintings.
I wanted to study his compositional strategies to understand how his paintings were so evocative despite using a muted color palette. Until now, I had hesitated to incorporate light colors in my work, fearing they would diminish the dramatic impact.
The artist was a significant influence on the development of Pahari painting. Through his integration of Mughal artistic elements, Nainsukh played a pivotal role in transforming a tradition that was predominantly focused on Hindu religious themes.