The Artist's Divine Muse

Saraswati is considered the muse of poets, artists and musicians and she is invoked wherever artistic excellence is desired. In mythology, she is sometimes connected with Brahma (both as his daughter and his shakti) and at other times with Vishnu as Pusti, one of his saktis.

The artist has forsaken the iconographic lotus pedestal for a rock to seat the goddess of learning. There is a look of genteel on her face and quietude in her posture. In her hands she holds the veena, a rosary and a book. The latter is a symbol of learning, the veena associates her with musical arts while the rosary is a symbol of religious rites. Her gleaming fair body expresses her purity and transcendence, keeping in mind her association with sattvaguna.

Going by the sanctity of the theme, the artist has kept to light hues. The halo behind Saraswati emits a fluorescent glow. Other than the rock the goddess is seated on, the background is devoid of all else. Swan or a peacock are the birds associated with Saraswati. In most paintings, she is seated on the swan, but here, a peacock struts in the foreground, head turned towards the gentle goddess.

This description by Renu Rana.