Painting

The painting, executed in black ink and white gouache, depicts a string of unpeopled, box-like, and undifferentiated houses seen across an expanse of flat, open ground. One can observe the 'sikhara' of a small temple or shrine among the buildings towards the left. The artist has depicted the little houses adjacent to one another, possibly suggesting the promiscuity and density that one finds in urban conglomerates. Unlike the works of Amrita Sher-Gil and Nandalal Bose, where peasants and tribesmen are inserted in timeless, pastoral settings, often untainted by idustrialization, Kumar's village appears gloomy and dreary. The blue and grey colours could perhaps indicate the materials used to fabricate the small habitations, such as tin sheets and corrugated iron.