Imagination beyond social boundary: So in my imagination I wanted to break what’s largely considered as ugly (pig) and bring it together with beauty I revere and cherish (woman) to make a new imagination in my painting.

I found an emotional connect and irreverent dynamism between the woman with the pig or boar. I know that the pig has some negative connotation of being ugly, dirty and being a glutton, but all these characteristics have been symbolized by human beings. By themselves, I find pigs have a nonchalant attitude of not caring what others think; in fact their faces have a smiling look!

History: For your information, in early Egyptian, Celtic and Greco-Roman cultures, the pig stands for fertility (great mother goddess, patron of nature and magic) and is an icon for abundance. For the Chinese, the pig was a symbol of virility, strength, and fertility in ancient cultures, and considered a symbol of sincerity, honesty, and determination. Greek farmers sacrifice pigs to deities for bumper crops, while Native American plains tribes link pigs to abundance, fertility and agriculture.

Pig characteristics: Pigs are one of the most social and intelligent farm animals. Contrary to belief, pigs are generally clean animals. They choose their toilet far away from their food, water troughs and shelter. Pigs are easy to domesticate and highly trainable too as they have good sense of smell, are smart and so can be trained to retrieve or hunt something.