25/05/2025
Almost 20 years ago, I did an elephant painting with the focal point being the eye. I titled that painting Upeksha (equanimity). After 20 years, when this painting came up, I decided to call it Metta, making it the 2nd in a potential series. Metta, Karuna, Mudita, and Upekkha are the four "Divine Abodes" or "Brahmaviharas" in Buddhism, representing qualities of love (metta), compassion, joy, and equanimity. This painting is based on a mother elephant I saw at the Minneriya National Forest Reserve. She walked quite close to our safari jeep and checked to make sure we were not a threat, and stood between us and the young elephant calves, until they were a safe distance from us.
This painting deals with themes of emotional depth and resilience. The swirling, textured strokes evoke a feeling of tumultuous emotion. The spiral of the trunk is many things: a gesture of love, a hug, a salute, a protective embrace, and also represents the cycles of life and rebirth.
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