Indian Woman's Portrait in Signed Acrylic on Canvas, "Neo–Marxian I"

Carrying a sheaf of wheat, a young woman gazes at the future with steadfastness and purpose. Behind her, roiling clouds are bathed in sunset's glow. "Life is an eternal struggle between the haves and the have-nots," artist Jay Karun muses.

"This painting represents a Keralite peasant woman in the times of the revolution. The sickle around the neck represents a dual symbolism – the struggle of the proletariat to earn their bread by the sweat of their brows and the fact that this selfsame symbol of their sustenance acts as a double edged sword, becoming a weapon of oppression and misery, plunging them into the depths of despair.

"History has shown that mankind's indomitable spirit rises from the ashes. Here, too, the woman in the painting reveals an inner power, a vital spirit that is revealed in her bold eyes. The ominous sky has a tone and tenor that hangs like a prophesy over the woman's head."