Every culture has many love stories whether it's Romeo and Juliet, Heer and Ranjha, Mirza and Sahiba, or Antony and Cleopatra. Through these stories love is portrayed as inevitable but yet often ending in painful situations. Though lovers fall in love they aren't always fortunate enough to stay together. Many legendary lovers are praised because of their commitment towards each other or their blind-eyed trust which is very hard to achieve in today's world. Though we ourselves might want to be remembered as "Shahjahan who built Taj Mahal for his wife," we make no effort to show the same dedication as Shah Jahan has for his beloved wife. Often these paintings of lovers are inspiration of us to have trust and faith in out love so we can also become an ideal couple for others.
This picture is a beautiful portrait of two lovers, Reshma and Shera. Just like many other love stories, these two young people were madly in love but yet the circumstances and time compelled both to keep their love a secret and live a life of misery without each other. When their families, who were in the midst of a violent feudal conflict, found out about their relationship the situation for both of these star-crossed lovers got even worse. Shera committed suicide and leaving Reshma behind with nothing to live for, therefore she had no choice but to follow in the footsteps of Shera to be together at least after they die. Though they both didn't get married and lived happily ever after, they still managed to demonstrate the strength and commitment a relationship needs to last.
Furthermore, this picture seems like a dreamy scene because of the clouds in the back and the colors. First of all, the focal point of the picture is the two lovers with their eyes closed and deeply immersed in each other's eyes. Emphasis is added to Reshma's figure using color, shades, and minor details. In photography we were taught that if something is placed on any of the rule of thirds lines, the picture turns out much better. In this case, Reshma's head is on the upper rule of thirds line drawing more attention to her, which creates a path of vision to the rest of her body and to Shera. Their clothes create a contrast with the rest of the picture. While the colors in the back are very dull and warm, their clothes are vibrant in color but still calm enough to still belong to the scene. Also the picture is well balanced and over crowded. On the left side are treasure chest, sword, and some sticks, which balances out with the little stones and the camel on the right side. What makes this picture more appealing is that the viewer can almost feel the love these two lovers share through their facial expressions. They both seem like they have gotten what they wanted, found their inner peace, and wish time would freeze for them.
The second picture, Beauty Awaiting her Shepherd Lover, is also a picture of two lovers waiting to unite. The woman is daydreaming about her husband coming back to see her. Often, in India after women get married, their husbands leave to other cities and towns to make money. The couple might not even get to spend any time together after their marriage before the husband has to find work. I have grown up watching many ladies in villages waiting for their husbands to return from other cities, long trips in search or work, or from other countries. Even though I couldn't find the history behind this picture, I was still able to analyze the picture historically because of my knowledge about the Indian culture. She is wearing a red bindi ("A decorative mark worn in the middle of the forehead by Indian women,") which means that she is married and the fact that his turban is also red means that they must have gotten married recently.
The viewers' attention is caught through the use of neutral colors and balance. This picture is unevenly scaled because her face is much bigger on canvas compared to her husbands' body. The black and white picture of her balances out with his picture in color because of the size differences. I would say that the focal point of this picture is definitely the woman's face because it is so well defined. She is drawn as the perfect model of a typical village wife, bold and beautiful but yet well cultured. The fact that her side of the picture is black and white adds emphasis on detail on her face. Her simplicity speaks more than any other colors could have spoken. Moreover, the only thing on her face that is in color is her red bindi, which is a symbol of marriage. If she hadn't had the bindi in color, viewers might have not been able to find out that they are married. The man on the horse creates a contrast with the background as well because the space around him is very light. Emphasis is added onto his red turban because there is clear white space around it. Also the lines draw attention to the man on the horse to show that he is traveling and also create a path of focus that leads up to him.
Though the main theme for both pictures is love, the meaning is defined in different ways. Both couples can't be labeled with, "And they lived happily ever after," because looking at the pictures and their interpretations it's easy to assume that life was not that easy for them. Reshma and Shera , just like the other couple in the second picture, are waiting to be together with each other. Both pictures represent the Indian culture very will in that they both include Indian elements, such as clothes, jewelry, facial features, and other objects. The phrase, longing for love, can be used to describe both pictures. Some have the patience to wait for their lover and others don't. But in both of these pictures we see the dedication and sincerity in both men and women towards each other. Even though the females in both pictures are very beautiful, they still don't take pride in their beauty and consider their lovers to be less than them. Both pictures show the obstacles of love and that only some are fortunate enough to attain it in life and others are given a chance to attain it in their afterlife.
Though both pictures look like dreamy scenes, the first picture represents their togetherness and affection while the second symbolizes commitment and yearning. The color schemes of both pictures are very different but yet both prove to show their point to the viewers efficiently. They say that the most beautiful things are not seen but are rather felt by the heart, which might be why both of them have their eyes closed. But this might not be fully true because in the second picture the woman is imagining a very beautiful thing but with her eyes open. Whether their eyes are open or closed makes a very big difference. The viewer might not get the feeling of affection and immersion in love if the lovers in the first painting had their eyes open. Also, in the second painting the eyes are a very strong symbol for hope because she is looking straight at what she is determined and destined to receive sooner or later. If her eyes had been closed, she might not have seemed as committed or strong in her desires. Also the focal points are very different in both pictures as well the paths of vision. In the first picture the focus is on both lovers together, but in the second the focal point is only the woman. The path of the first painting leads from the lovers' heads to their feet, while in the second one the path of vision travels from the woman to the man and then back to the woman.
This picture is a beautiful portrait of two lovers, Reshma and Shera. Just like many other love stories, these two young people were madly in love but yet the circumstances and time compelled both to keep their love a secret and live a life of misery without each other. When their families, who were in the midst of a violent feudal conflict, found out about their relationship the situation for both of these star-crossed lovers got even worse. Shera committed suicide and leaving Reshma behind with nothing to live for, therefore she had no choice but to follow in the footsteps of Shera to be together at least after they die. Though they both didn't get married and lived happily ever after, they still managed to demonstrate the strength and commitment a relationship needs to last.Furthermore, this picture seems like a dreamy scene because of the clouds in the back and the colors. First of all, the focal point of the picture is the two lovers with their eyes closed and deeply immersed in each other's eyes. Emphasis is added to Reshma's figure using color, shades, and minor details. In photography we were taught that if something is placed on any of the rule of thirds lines, the picture turns out much better. In this case, Reshma's head is on the upper rule of thirds line drawing more attention to her, which creates a path of vision to the rest of her body and to Shera. Their clothes create a contrast with the rest of the picture. While the colors in the back are very dull and warm, their clothes are vibrant in color but still calm enough to still belong to the scene. Also the picture is well balanced and over crowded. On the left side are treasure chest, sword, and some sticks, which balances out with the little stones and the camel on the right side. What makes this picture more appealing is that the viewer can almost feel the love these two lovers share through their facial expressions. They both seem like they have gotten what they wanted, found their inner peace, and wish time would freeze for them.
The second picture, Beauty Awaiting her Shepherd Lover, is also a picture of two lovers waiting to unite. The woman is daydreaming about her husband coming back to see her. Often, in India after women get married, their husbands leave to other cities and towns to make money. The couple might not even get to spend any time together after their marriage before the husband has to find work. I have grown up watching many ladies in villages waiting for their husbands to return from other cities, long trips in search or work, or from other countries. Even though I couldn't find the history behind this picture, I was still able to analyze the picture historically because of my knowledge about the Indian culture. She is wearing a red bindi ("A decorative mark worn in the middle of the forehead by Indian women,") which means that she is married and the fact that his turban is also red means that they must have gotten married recently.The viewers' attention is caught through the use of neutral colors and balance. This picture is unevenly scaled because her face is much bigger on canvas compared to her husbands' body. The black and white picture of her balances out with his picture in color because of the size differences. I would say that the focal point of this picture is definitely the woman's face because it is so well defined. She is drawn as the perfect model of a typical village wife, bold and beautiful but yet well cultured. The fact that her side of the picture is black and white adds emphasis on detail on her face. Her simplicity speaks more than any other colors could have spoken. Moreover, the only thing on her face that is in color is her red bindi, which is a symbol of marriage. If she hadn't had the bindi in color, viewers might have not been able to find out that they are married. The man on the horse creates a contrast with the background as well because the space around him is very light. Emphasis is added onto his red turban because there is clear white space around it. Also the lines draw attention to the man on the horse to show that he is traveling and also create a path of focus that leads up to him.
Though the main theme for both pictures is love, the meaning is defined in different ways. Both couples can't be labeled with, "And they lived happily ever after," because looking at the pictures and their interpretations it's easy to assume that life was not that easy for them. Reshma and Shera , just like the other couple in the second picture, are waiting to be together with each other. Both pictures represent the Indian culture very will in that they both include Indian elements, such as clothes, jewelry, facial features, and other objects. The phrase, longing for love, can be used to describe both pictures. Some have the patience to wait for their lover and others don't. But in both of these pictures we see the dedication and sincerity in both men and women towards each other. Even though the females in both pictures are very beautiful, they still don't take pride in their beauty and consider their lovers to be less than them. Both pictures show the obstacles of love and that only some are fortunate enough to attain it in life and others are given a chance to attain it in their afterlife.
Though both pictures look like dreamy scenes, the first picture represents their togetherness and affection while the second symbolizes commitment and yearning. The color schemes of both pictures are very different but yet both prove to show their point to the viewers efficiently. They say that the most beautiful things are not seen but are rather felt by the heart, which might be why both of them have their eyes closed. But this might not be fully true because in the second picture the woman is imagining a very beautiful thing but with her eyes open. Whether their eyes are open or closed makes a very big difference. The viewer might not get the feeling of affection and immersion in love if the lovers in the first painting had their eyes open. Also, in the second painting the eyes are a very strong symbol for hope because she is looking straight at what she is determined and destined to receive sooner or later. If her eyes had been closed, she might not have seemed as committed or strong in her desires. Also the focal points are very different in both pictures as well the paths of vision. In the first picture the focus is on both lovers together, but in the second the focal point is only the woman. The path of the first painting leads from the lovers' heads to their feet, while in the second one the path of vision travels from the woman to the man and then back to the woman.
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