“Drawing upon a wide variety of Indian painting traditions, she works within existing genres while rejecting those parts of tradition that justify the subordination of women…Rodwittiya’s early paintings are eclectic and intensely personal…In the early 90s, a generic monumental female figure type emerged as the central subject of her work. Set against a flat background, the solitary figure was often depicted engaged in a...
“Drawing upon a wide variety of Indian painting traditions, she works within existing genres while rejecting those parts of tradition that justify the subordination of women…Rodwittiya’s early paintings are eclectic and intensely personal…In the early 90s, a generic monumental female figure type emerged as the central subject of her work. Set against a flat background, the solitary figure was often depicted engaged in a domestic task. Emphasizing the special link between femininity and creativity, the artist draws a parallel between the making of art and simple household duties, likening them both to a form of meditation”. (Amrita Jhaveri, A Guide to 101 modern and contemporary Indian artists, India Book House Pvt. Ltd., p.153).
The artist typified these associations using various visualisations, including symbolic objects, the stance of this central solitary figure, or in the case of this work, color. “Red, according to the artist, signified sacrifice, passion, desire and protest. By flattening and isolating the subject, and by using rich colour, she reconciles the twin concern of discipline and sensuality that are central to her practice. The archetypal female subject, along with the naïve symbols that surround her, is contemporary and mythic.” (Ibid)