‘Waiting for the Lover’ is a recurrent theme in Syed Thajudeen Shaik Abu Talib’s repertoire. It’s a modern-day replay of the deity-cowherd Krishna’s pastoral romance in Hindu folklore, with a local setting of the lovelorn female love, his consort Radha, clad in baju kebaya, accentuating the body curves. Sensuality is one of the two major strands in Syed Thajudeen’s themes, the other related to historical epics. Here, the female protagonist in a low-cut blouse strikes a sexy pose with the anticipation of the return of her lover. The soft pastel pink-yellowish hues of the background enhances the mood. Born in Alagam Kulamvillage near Madurai, South India, Syed Thajudeen rejoined her Malaysian-born parents in Penang when he was 11. After his lower secondary education, he returned to Madras to study at the Government College of Arts and Crafts (1967-1974), graduating with a Diploma in Painting in 1973 and a Post-Diploma in painting in 1974. His first solo was at the Penang State Art Gallery (PSAG) in 1975. His other notable solos include Seroja (2002), Love and its Many Splendoured Things (2004), Cinta Tercipta, There Is Love (2006, 2007), Women in Kebaya (2007), Paintings On Love (2010). In 2015, the PSAG honoured Syed Thajudeen with a retrospective. He was selected for 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.