Rama and Lakshmana Overwhelmed by Arrows

An unfinished preparatory sketch by the artist Manaku, this folio is part of his illustrations on the last chapters of Ramayana, known as his Seige of Lanka Series, making this a part of his larger narrative style paintings, revealing the Recess of the artist .This painting depicts the bodies of Rama Lakshmana pierced by arrows and the shaft resembling serpent, metaphor Manaku rendered literally on paper with the depiction, writhing snakes covering the bodies of the two fallen heroes. This act of cruelty was executed by Indrajit, the son of Ravana. Surrounds them are the army of monkeys or the Vanar Sena and bears that stand distressed some carrying trees which they prepared for defence, with varied emotion of grief and anticipation. Manukau uses repetitive pattern for these animals to fill up the pictorial space creating a sense of vastness to overwhelm the viewer. Though incomplete one could only imagine the work that it could be if this was cpfilled writhe vibrant colours that Manaku used for his other paintings in the same series. We now can study the artist through these sketches and their techniques and employment of narrative and storytelling through paintings. For Manuku it was the individual drawing of each of the character figures and establish a balance with the space and the subject before the application of paint and pigment. Thus providing an insight into the Pahari School of art which included his father Seu and his younger brother Nainsukh, which reflected the art practices of the court of Guler