The Painting Exhibition Story

I thought of this story several years ago, and it remains one of my favorites. Often, while contemplating a topic or sometimes during one-on-one conversations, I used stories to illustrate a point or support an argument. Until now, most of these stories remained undocumented. Perhaps I was more interested in sharing my creations individually than with the wider world. However this approach hasn't been working. 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one.

The Painting Exhibition

The town of Bichitrapur, located somewhere in India, was abuzz with an unusual announcement. A special painting exhibition was set to take place at the town's Central Hall for a fortnight. For a small town, where movie theaters and a shopping mall were the usual draws, an art exhibition was truly a rare event.

The organisers started promoting the exhibition throughout Bichitrapur. There were mixed reactions, some townsfolk were genuinely interested, others remained indifferent to the arts, and a few were a little skeptical. Regardless, everyone knew something unique was happening.

As the exhibition opened, visitors trickled in. The first couple of days saw modest attendance, but by the third day, the Central Hall began to fill with more and more curious footsteps.

Among those who decided to visit was a group of five or six young women. On a pleasant afternoon, they made their way to the Central Hall.

Inside, the exhibition space was beautifully lit and decorated. Various paintings were displayed across two or three distinct galleries within the hall. Having already purchased their entry tickets, the women began to explore.

They wandered through galleries filled with numerous portraits: kings, queens, soldiers, and monarchs. As they moved from one painting to the next, they suddenly paused in front of a particular frame.

Image creation: Google Gemini

"Hey, look at this portrait!" one woman exclaimed, drawing her friends' attention. "What a lovely portrait of a princess!"

One of her friends stepped closer, peered at the frame, and then retorted, "How can you call this a good portrait? Look at the princess. Her face is so dull, there's no life in her expression."

Another woman chimed in, "Actually, her face looks very angry and depressed. Look at her eyes, it is painted really ugly."

The fourth woman in the group softly disagreed, "But I find this portrait quite beautiful. I don't see any dullness or anger. Her face looks delightful and full of life."

. . . It took them a moment to realise that the particular frame they were so intently examining was not a painting at all. It was, in fact, a mirror. They had been looking at, and commenting on, their own reflections.

---

This page was last updated on: 24 June 2025
Number of revisions on this page: 2
Internet Archive Backup: See here