Gallery Pradarshak announces Mamta – The Essence of Love, an exhibition of paintings exploring one of the most timeless human emotions: maternal love.

The Hindi word mamta carries layered meanings. This singular most enduring emotion embodies the nurturing, protective force that shapes lives and identities. Rooted in the Sanskrit mamatā, which once referred to attachment or “mine-ness,” the term has evolved in modern usage to signify the selfless, nurturing love of a mother. Indian visual culture has long embodied this sentiment—from Raja Ravi Varma’s celebrated depictions of Yashoda with Krishna to Jamini Roy’s folk-inspired images of mother and child. In European art, Raphael’s serene Madonnas and Leonardo’s tender Virgin and Child compositions offered enduring archetypes of maternal intimacy, while American Impressionist Mary Cassatt made everyday gestures of motherhood central to her practice.

The present exhibition situates contemporary Indian artists within this continuum. Through varied mediums—paintings, symbolic abstractions, and figurative expressions—the works translate mamta into forms that are immediate yet universal. They speak of tenderness and sacrifice, resilience and care, offering viewers a space for reflection on how maternal love continues to inspire across time and culture.