This black and white illustration is inspired by a key scene from Satyajit Ray’s landmark 1964 film, Charulata.

Set in late 19th century India, the film revolves around the young Charulata (a.k.a Charu) who finds herself both inspired and drawn to her husband’s poet cousin, Amal. A milestone both in Ray’s career and Indian cinema, Charulata is one of the most delicate tales of a woman beginning to find her voice. The film, based on Rabindranath Tagore’s novella Nastanirh (The Broken Nest), finds Ray at his most intimately lyrical. A lyricalness that’s illustrated by iconic scenes like this one, where Ray, nodding to Fragonard’s The Swing (18th-century oil painting), shows Charu (on a swing) chatting with Amal in a sunlit garden, reveling in the joy of her newfound intellectual and erotic stimulation.