The Goddess Kali above Triveni Sangam

'Triveni Sangam' in the title is a point where three rivers are joined in Allahabad in northern India. A legend tells the river Ganga and the river Yamna join here with the legendary river Sarasvati. Pious Hindus thus visit this place for ablution. In this painting, the Goddess Kali, the black goddess or the goddess of wars, floats above the river in the light. Her appearance does not contain the fearfulness usually seen in representations of this goddess. Rather, she is depicted as a gentle beautiful boy in this painting. The painter served as the first Indian director of the Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai and is one of the most representative academic painters in India. He excelled at producing paintings of exotic Indian women and landscapes. The realistic depiction of Goddess Kali and the vast landscape that indicates the roundness of the Earth reflect the high standard of Western academism in India. (NT)