This work draws inspiration from the legends, beliefs, and literature surrounding the Kinnari, a mythical creature from Himmapan mythology symbolizing pure love. The Kinnari, depicted as a winged woman capable of flight, embodies cultural narratives and imagery. This inspiration led to a series of Chinese watercolor paintings that reinterpret the Kinnari’s beauty through personal imagination rather than idealized forms.

The series, titled Leela Kinnari, explores the transformation of forms into essential symbols. It emphasizes artistic elements like lines, colors, shapes, tonal values, and spatial arrangements within a semi-abstract Chinese painting style. The compositions are unconventional, employing simplicity and essential forms to narrate the Kinnari’s story, with colors evoking harmony and contrasting tones creating imaginative atmospheres. Open shapes and empty spaces reflect the artist’s direct experiences.

The series highlights the relationship between figure and background, central to the perception of beauty. Beyond aesthetic appeal, it conveys symbolic meanings such as feminine power, pure love, and the Kinnari’s role as a deity of good fortune. In line with Chinese painting traditions, auspicious symbols offer blessings to viewers.

Ultimately, the series merges form and belief, drawing from cultural studies of Kinnari literature. Through imagination and artistic expression, it captures the essence and narrative power of the Kinnari while reflecting the creator’s vision of beauty and meaning.