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Balinese painting of Hanuman courting Ravana's mermaid daughter

About this photograph

Creator
Margery H. Freeman
Date created
Unknown
Location
Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
License
This photograph copyright ©2006. Terms of use

See this photograph in context

  • The Ramayana: The Hindu epic The Ramayana is retold through the mural, painting, and dance of Southeast Asia. (Page 4.12)

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In the classroom

  • See our collection of articles on visual literacy for ideas on using photographs meaningfully in the classroom.
Balinese painting of Hanuman courting Ravana's mermaid daughter

Sizes available: 683×1024 | 333×500

A red-toned modern Balinese painting depicts Hanuman courting Ravana’s mermaid daughter.

Swooping above moonlit waves and an open-mouthed fish in the sea, Hanuman carries the beautiful mermaid in his outstretched arms. Hanuman’s and the mermaid’s faces are framed by the glowing full moon as they touch and gaze at one another.

Hanuman is colored white with his fur drawn precisely into the image, while the mermaid’s skin is a solid dark brown. The background of the sky and sea are tinted a deep red color.

In this artisitc portrayal, the mermaid’s dark skin contrasts to Hanuman’s light fur. Hanuman and the mermaid both wear Hindu Balinese style royal waistcloths, crowns, and ornaments.

This image was photographed in August 1986.