c. 1675

The Monkey King and His Army Pledge Their Support to Rama

Paintings from Malwa are celebrated for their deceptive directness. The rich, scarlet background of this painting, for example, is included not as a strange landscape, but more as a theater backdrop in front of which the dramatic Ramayana unfolds. Hanuman is likely one of the monkeys, set off by the red ground, who witnesses the pledge of friendship between Rama and Sugriva. The figures are arranged simply, almost in defiance of the psychologically intense moment that is enacted. The painting, in fact, is a study of balanced contrasts where circles meet squares, monkeys meet humans, complementary colors collide, and large areas of solid color vie with minute details.