DISCUSS

Unknown (Rajasthan)
A Lady with a Black Buck, 18th century

Idealized portraits of women, like this one celebrating female beauty, were common in the Rajput kingdoms, in what is today northwestern India. This painting may have been inspired by an Indian song that tells the story of a woman walking in a forest. Roll your cursor over the image and consider how this artist envisions female beauty:

• What do you see? What details do you notice?
• What types of lines do you see?
• Can you find particular types of lines that are repeated in different parts of the picture?
• What is the focal point of this painting (the area that draws your attention the most)?
• What draws your attention to that area?
• What kind of relationship does this woman seem to have with nature?
• What do you see that makes you say that?
• How would you describe this artist’s view of women and beauty?
• What do you think the artist is saying?