Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

Fine Arts

Chapter

The Modern Indian Art

Question:

Look at the painting and answer the following questions:

What is the central figure of the painting holding on her lap?

Options:

An animal

A grown-up man

A baby

A grown-up woman

Correct Answer:

A grown-up man

Explanation:

The correct answer is Option 2-  A grown-up man
The central figure of the seated Mother is holding a grown-up man on her lap, which is a reference to Michelangelo’s Pieta, a famous sculpture from the Italian Renaissance.

Mother Teresa- This painting by M. F. Husain of the saintly figure, Mother Teresa, belongs to the 1980s. It is painted in a style typically of this artist, who created a new language of modern Indian art. The figure of the faceless Mother appears several times, each time holding a baby with a lot of attention given to the hand. The central figure of the seated Mother has a grown up man lying on her lap horizontally. This speaks of the artist’s familiarity with European art, especially, the famous sculpture of Italian Renaissance master, Michelangelo’s Pieta. On the other hand, the flat shapes used to depict the scene are modern. They appear like a collage of paper cutouts. The artist is not interested in showing us the life of Mother Teresa realistically but uses bare suggestions. We, as viewers, have to follow the clues left by the artist to make sense of the story. It is the kneeling figure of the woman on one side that gives us a hint that the story about healing and nursing the helpless is unfolding in India.