The lone amorous lover in all coquettish poses is a favourite of Syed Thajudeen in his paeans to love with a pastoral setting. Here, Miss Pucker Lips seems a little anxioius as she waits for her secret lover in this paradisiacal natural settings complete with palm trees, something the belle could hide and hug as in most breadline Bollywood movies complete with songs and dancers. With a massive booty, you half expect the maiden to do some twerking if she’s transported to today, in the US of America perhaps. But a solid bum according to traditionalists is a splendid sign of a great child-bearing receptacle. But Syed Thajudeen’s world is what makes the world go round: Love, sensual and playful with the tree stumps like phallic symbols, heightening the woman’s innermost desires. In Indian mythology, such scenes are often played out as that of the super nova lothario Lord Krishna, who is seldom depicted because he is a divine presence, spending time with his purported harem of Gopis or if only one, his consort Radha. Syed Thajudeen’s tutelage at the Government College of Arts and Crafts (1967-1974) was at a time of the most seminal changes in art in India. Born in Alagam Kulamvillage near Madurai, South India, he joined his Malaysian-born parents in Penang at the age of 11, but returned to Madras for his studies. He had a brief teaching job before becoming a resident designer in a bank for the rest of his working life. In 2015, the Penang State Art Gallery honoured him with a Retrospective, rounding up a career that started with his first solo held there in 1975, a gap of 40 years. Syed Thajudeen’s importance saw him being selected for several travelling national exhibitions like the Bangladesh Biennale in 1983; the Contemporary Paintings of Malaysia in Pasadena, the United States, in 1988; and the Olympic Games art show in London in 2012.