The rising tidal wave of feminism gripping the developed world is certainly leaving its mark for generations to come; however, in many less globalised, rural areas around the world, this is not the case. This painting by artist, Vansika Jain, depicts the demanding yet necessary routine of the rural-dwelling women living in parts of Asia where the lack of modern infrastructure forces them to walk for miles on end every day, just to acquire their daily supply of water. This is a classic example of how sometimes lack of development stems the flow of societal growth. Entrenched gender inequalities make it so that it's always the women forced to suffer such hard labour, unfortunately, in these villages, it is still believed that the men should earn the bread that their wives proceed to cook and feed them.
The desolate backdrop sports only a couple of hard shrubs, representing the social seclusion a woman is bound to be subjected to in these regions. It is not only the absence of emotional support for women, but also prevailing stigmas such as menstrual taboos, long outdated in the modern world, that cause their ostracisation with painful regularity. The medley of hues blue, black, and white with hints of pink highlights her conflicted emotional state, perhaps feeling trapped in a life she may not have wished to live. However, emerging gracefully as the focal point of this painting, despite all her troubles, is a woman of colour, fighting through her difficulties to do her part for her family. Her white adornments perhaps signify hope a more independent and self-fulfilled life, not just for herself but also for all those who will come after her. It is a way to acknowledge her efforts for the sake of her family's happiness even though she doesn't have to undertake them. She really is their beacon of light and the glue holding them together.
About the Artist:
Vansika is a high school student from India. She loves painting, play music, reading books, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. She has been associated with many NPO's recently and she believes in bringing a change in the society. She wants to pursue economics for undergraduate and plans to study Artificial Intelligence later. Her biggest pet peeve is when people chew with their mouth open. She can't stand it and it looks very gross.