There's an explosion of gestures and flesh on this small painted piece. If you look closely, you may notice a ring of western middle-finger gestures surrounded by a ring of the hasta mudra gesture 'tripataka'. In classical Indian dance, 'tripataka' has a variety of meanings, but the third finger down is said to symbolize the energy of action. The open hand gesture 'alapadma,' also depicted, often means lotus, or simply an opening. Divorced from their contexts, all these signs come to mean something totally different, while still representing a part the self.