30th September 2025 Mrs Lathika & Beena

I’m excited to share this oil painting of Mrs Lathika, of a Kathakali dancer. It’s so lifelike that you can almost feel the dancer’s energy and passion leaping off the canvas.

 Kathakali, a dance form from Kerala, the southernmost state of India, is a captivating art that dates back five hundred years. Rooted in temple and folk arts, it is a complex dance that combines music, dance, and acting with ritual traditions. What truly sets it apart is its unique way of storytelling through facial expressions and hand movements. A Kathakali dancer can narrate a story with incredible depth and emotion.

 The dancer’s intricate make-up, with its vibrant colours, is truly captivating. Each shade conveys a specific meaning: green for nobility, red for lurking evil, black for extreme evil, and yellow for femininity, spirituality, and virtuosity.

 According to Hindu philosophy, there are three gunas: good, evil, and active. These traits are present in everyone and everything in varying proportions. It is the interplay of these gunas that is expressed by the Kathakali dancer.

Your feedback is invaluable to me. I find the interplay of these three elements-good, evil, and active-in life and in the Kathakali dancer’s performance truly captivating. I would love to hear your thoughts on the painting and how it resonates with your own life experiences.