The Heroine Who Waits Anxiously for Her Absent Lover (Utka Nayika)
Unknown Artist
c. 1800
Medium
Gum tempera on and paper
Dimensions
23.8 × 14.8 cm · image: 16 × 10.2 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Edward L. Whittemore Fund
Accession Number
1932.118
About this artwork
Inspired by devotional poetry that likens the waiting for divine favor to that of a woman alone in the forest waiting for her lover, Pahari painters mastered portrayals of this subject. Darkness has fallen, but the moon and stars and jasmine flowers brighten the night. However, monsoon clouds approach in the distance, suggesting impending danger and misery. Her gesture and expression suggest a mixture of hope and heightened uncertainty about how much longer she should continue to wait.