1. SETTING

• A palace signals a realm of rulership, and relationships of power.
• A garden, bower, or grove signals a realm of love and longing, a private place away from the gaze of others.
• A wilderness suggests a place beyond social conventions.
• There are no generalized rules about reading a picture from left to right, or top to bottom.
• Space is not viewed as continuous, nor is a fixed vantage assumed. What is important is shown without regard to perspective.

Social and emotional relationships are frequently described by how near or far figures are from one another, whether there are obstacles between them, and whether or not they touch.

Time is fluid; past, present and future can co-exist in a painting, as they are presumed to co-exist in reality. Figures appearing twice in a picture indicate separate events, but not necessarily linear time.

Weather, time of day, flowers opened or closed convey mood. Mood (rasa) is all-important to the content of a picture and to feelings generated in the viewer.

• SIZE is used to signal relative importance as well as age.
• PLACEMENT with regard to the central space and/or the most important people in the picture signals relative importance.
• ORNAMENT AND DRESS are important indicators of status. Adorning oneself suggests a mood of desire; clothing in disarray suggests passion has been enjoyed.

Locked gazes between lovers create a world apart. Powerful figures enjoy the gaze of all. At first, figures may seem conventionally drawn, but close attention to facial expression is rewarded by subtle emotional messages.

Symbols from mythology and court etiquette are used. One example that appears frequently is people with blue complexions. Why do people have blue complexions and who are they? The god Vishnu and the forms he takes as Rama and Krishna (avatars, or incarnations, of Vishnu) have blue complexions. This color is regarded as supremely beautiful—the color of condensed sky. Vishnu commonly has four arms; Rama and Krishna commonly have two, but may have more.

Much of South Asian painting is linked to literary texts, and these texts are important keys to understanding works of art. This painting illustrates a passage from the Gita Govinda, a 12th-century dramatic, lyrical poem, expressed as a cycle of songs. The poem tells of the love of the god Krishna and the mortal Radha. After one night of blissful union, Krishna resumes his love-play with milkmaidens. Radha becomes mad with jealousy, pride, and longing, and spurns him. He realizes the quality and intensity of her love.

In the passage illustrated, a friend helps the lovers to reconcile. The friend speaks to Krishna of Radha's pitiful condition, her conflicted emotions, and her overriding passion. He listens and gestures as if to say: "But I am here longing for her as well."

8. EXPECT TO FIND EXCEPTIONS TO ANYTHING CLAIMING TO BE A RULE IN SOUTH ASIAN PAINTING.

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Using the Keys

1. WHAT IS THE SETTING?
   A grove is divided into two sheltering bowers. A grove is the place for lovers. Here they are separated. Two figures are seated on plush beds of leaves. The sky and the river are grey.

2. WHAT DOES SPACE SAY ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS?
   Within each group, figures are close together, suggesting some intimacy.

3. WHAT TIME IS INDICATED?
   Gold on dresses and jewelry gleams as though lit. Is there an unseen moon? The sky is dark. Birds roost in the trees. Is it dusk?

4. WHAT DO SIZE, PLACEMENT, ORNAMENT AND DRESS OF FIGURES TELL US?
   The large, crowned, and adorned figure has a blue complexion. He is a god.
   HOW MANY FIGURES ARE THERE?
   There are seemingly four but actually only three. Which one appears twice? Multiple appearances suggest distinct events. Does one encounter seem to come before the other? The figure appearing twice seems to be a confidante of both parties. She is a stock character in Indian stories—the Sakhi-Sanskrit for "friend." This woman's veil, jewels, and gold-trimmed robe convey her importance. She turns away from her friend's entreaty.

5. WHAT CAN BE LEARNED FROM CLOSE INSPECTION OF GAZES AND GESTURES?
   The confidante and Krishna look directly at one another, talking with their hands. They seem to be talking at the same time, or is the exchange visually compressed? The woman who averts her gaze seems to express reluctance to emerge from her distraught state. What is the confidante offering? Sympathy? Consolation? An invitation?

6. WHAT IS SAID IN SYMBOLIC LANGUAGE?
   Flowering groves along the banks of a river, a blue-complexioned god ensnared by a woman's love—all signal Krishna and his beloved Radha in their not-always-smooth path toward union. Their story is an erotically charged love affair, a metaphor for the desire and longing of the soul for union with god.

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