Nishat 

Editor: Nishat, attributed to Abanindranath Tagore, immediately transports me to a place of hushed reverence. There’s a profound stillness. Curator: Yes, there is! It feels like eavesdropping on a secret moment, doesn’t it? I get the impression that it is a miniature, painted with watercolors, of a royal couple. Editor: Miniature is spot on—that intimacy draws me in. But the title, "Nishat," alludes to the Nishat Bagh gardens in Kashmir, doesn't it? Built in the 17th century, these were a place of imperial leisure, love, and courtly life. It re-positions our understanding away from a personal moment, into an allegory of power. Curator: I think it's lovely how Tagore leaves that open for interpretation. I find this image calming, like watching a memory unfold in shades of grey, red and white. What about the way the figures are positioned within the composition? I wonder if that offers clues as to whether this moment depicts a scene of domestic life or royal performance. Editor: The composition itself speaks volumes. The hazy landscape is characteristic of the Bengal School of Art’s wash technique. The figures appear to be a royal couple relaxing in a tranquil outdoor setting; I want to interpret the female figure and the playing of music as resistance to patriarchy. Curator: Resistance, interesting! Because the colors are muted, they enhance the image with feelings of serenity, although you are right to mention the Bengal School’s radical artistic intervention. I’m drawn to the dreamy, almost ethereal quality the watercolors evoke, there's an intense, sublime dreaminess. And to the subject’s expression… she is serene and content. Editor: And isn’t that problematic? In terms of agency, one could argue that contentment becomes a trap for a figure who may well occupy an invidious social position in real life, regardless of her privilege. Perhaps her seeming ‘serenity’ naturalizes patriarchy rather than challenging it? I keep wondering who these figures really are… perhaps no one important. Curator: Perhaps it's a dream of a garden, a dream of resistance… Who knows. Editor: Who knows, exactly. And perhaps we can find new meaning by letting go of all such contextual baggage, to see what the next dreamer might find here. Curator: Or lose in the process! A truly beguiling painting, whatever it is, no?