
M F Husain Indian, 1915-2011
67.1 x 95 cm
The essence of Gajalakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity,
radiates from this masterpiece, enveloping the viewer in divine blessings,
spiritual abundance, and boundless
grace. A figure sits at the heart of the canvas, composed, luminous, and
resplendent in red. Her posture unfolds with the grace of classical rhythm,
each movement imbued with poise and presence. Her arms rise in a gesture that
echoes both invocation and dance, a timeless choreography of devotion. She
lifts sacred oil lamps with her tender hands, their flames delicately balanced
like celestial offerings—symbols of light, clarity, and the eternal spark of
presence.
Her face is serene, infinite in depth, and crowned by a radiant aura. She
becomes every goddess, every mother, every guardian of the sacred. At her brow,
the bindi glows like a sun, centered and resolute, a mark of perception and
inner vision, grounding the figure.
Two baby elephants leap toward her with jubilant energy,
their forms glowing with eternal light. They are symbols of welcome, protectors
of prosperity, companions to divinity.
Their uplifted trunks reach toward her radiance, drawn by
instinct to a presence that nourishes and protects. These elephants carry the
blessings and wisdom of Lord Ganesha, symbolizing wealth, knowledge, and the
removal of obstacles, living metaphors of auspiciousness, folded into the composition.
To one side, a green banana leaf anchors the scene, an emblem of ritual,
offering, and sacred continuity. It connects the divine to the domestic. The
composition unfolds within a vibrant ocean of red, a celebration of sacred
feminine power. From its depths, the goddess emerges, alive in gesture, alive
in memory, eternally seated in the heart of devotion.