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Somnath Hore

What could ordinarily have been a family portrait framed within an arch, this woodcut print instead depicts a mother with her two young children on the brink of starvation. Standing tall with ominous eyes, the mother continues to protect and comfort her children in the face of danger, in a situation beyond her control.

The innocent smiles and wandering gaze of the children are replaced with hollow eyes, filled with acute tiredness, hopelessness, and a broken spirit. The most disturbing commonality across all figures is their protruding collarbones, rib cages, vertebrae, and distended bellies. Despite the situation, Hore’s depiction of her enlarged hand placed around her young baby resting on her bosom further illustrates the protective role she continues to occupy.