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{{Short description|1981 painting by Bhupen Khakhar}}

{{Infobox artwork
| title = You Can’t Please All
| artist = [[Bhupen Khakhar]]
| year = 1981
| medium = [[Oil on canvas]]
| height_metric = 175.6
| width_metric = 175.6
| metric_unit = cm
| museum = [[Tate]]
| city = [[London]]
}}

'''''You Can't Please All''''' is an [[Oil painting|oil on canvas]] painting by [[India]]n artist [[Bhupen Khakhar]] (1934–2003). Khakhar, famously recognized as India's first [[pop artist]], completed the painting in 1981 in [[Vadodara|Baroda]], [[Gujarat]]. The painting took him five months to finish.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tate |title=‘You Can’t Please All‘, Bhupen Khakhar, 1981 |url=https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/khakhar-you-cant-please-all-t07200 |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=Tate |language=en-GB}}</ref>

== Background ==
An openly gay artist,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2002-10-29 |title=Smashing India's sexual taboos |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2372697.stm |access-date=2023-09-24}}</ref> Khakhar's works were very figurative in nature, and explored the themes of gender, identity, sexuality, humour, love and relationship, among others. His paintings often contained references to [[Hindu mythology]] and mythological themes.

A self-taught artist, Khakhar painted one of his most significant works, ''You Can't Please All'', in 1981. The painting is widely regarded as his 'coming out' statement,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Standley |first=Michelle |date=2017-02-01 |title=Bhupen Khakhar You Can’t Please All |url=https://brooklynrail.org/2017/02/artseen/Bhupen-Khakhar |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=The Brooklyn Rail |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jumabhoy |first=Zehra |date=2016-10-01 |title=Bhupen Khakhar |url=https://www.artforum.com/events/bhupen-khakhar-3-224196/ |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=Artforum |language=en-US}}</ref> as homosexuality became a recurring theme in his paintings following it.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-07-18 |title=Art and life in the work of Bhupen Khakhar |url=https://www.apollo-magazine.com/art-and-life-in-the-work-of-bhupen-khakhar/ |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=Apollo Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> The painting was published at a time when homosexuality was looked down upon and condemned in India. Likely a self-portrait, Khakhar's work reflected courage, pride, colour and liberation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bhupen Khakhar: You Can’t Please All {{!}} My Art Guides |url=https://myartguides.com/exhibitions/berlin/bhupen-khakhar-you-cant-please-all/ |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=My Art Guides {{!}} Your Compass in the Art World |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Title ==
The title of the painting is an allusion to a folktale called ''You Can't Please Everyone'' from [[Aesop's Fables]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=10 iconic works of modern Indian art - Galaxy of Musicians (1889) |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/miscellaneous/10-iconic-works-of-modern-indian-art/you-cant-please-all-1981/slideshow/64903943.cms |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=The Economic Times}}</ref> a story about two men carrying a donkey and ultimately losing it by accident as they attempt to pay heed to the advice of every person who comes across them. The painting, set in an Indian town, shows three episodes from the tale.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tate |title=‘You Can’t Please All‘, Bhupen Khakhar, 1981 |url=https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/khakhar-you-cant-please-all-t07200 |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=Tate |language=en-GB}}</ref>

== Overview ==
''You Can't Please All'' is an oil on canvas painting and employs lots of colours. The painting has two main sections: on the left is a bustling town, full of garages, cafes and alleyways;<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cumming |first=Laura |date=2016-06-05 |title=Bhupen Khakhar: You Can’t Please All review – a sprawl through a life’s work |language=en-GB |work=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/jun/05/bhupen-khakhar-you-cant-please-all-review-tate-modern-pop-art-pink-city-howard-hodgkin-david-hockney |access-date=2023-09-24 |issn=0029-7712}}</ref> on the right stands a naked man leaning over his balcony,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-06-12 |title=The body electric |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/art-and-culture/the-body-electric-5775950/ |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> looking down at the townspeople.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bhupen Khakhar: You Can’t Please All {{!}} My Art Guides |url=https://myartguides.com/exhibitions/berlin/bhupen-khakhar-you-cant-please-all/ |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=My Art Guides {{!}} Your Compass in the Art World |language=en-US}}</ref> The town is busy, showcasing several scenes: a man repairing his car, a woman plucking fruits from a tree, a group of men sitting at the porch of a house, and three distinct episodes from the titular fable.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Standley |first=Michelle |date=2017-02-01 |title=Bhupen Khakhar You Can’t Please All |url=https://brooklynrail.org/2017/02/artseen/Bhupen-Khakhar |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=The Brooklyn Rail |language=en-US}}</ref> The man, presumed to be a self-portrait of Khakhar,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cumming |first=Laura |date=2016-06-05 |title=Bhupen Khakhar: You Can’t Please All review – a sprawl through a life’s work |language=en-GB |work=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/jun/05/bhupen-khakhar-you-cant-please-all-review-tate-modern-pop-art-pink-city-howard-hodgkin-david-hockney |access-date=2023-09-24 |issn=0029-7712}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bhupen Khakhar: You Can’t Please All - Announcements - e-flux |url=https://www.e-flux.com/announcements/44206/bhupen-khakharyou-can-t-please-all/ |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=www.e-flux.com |language=en}}</ref> watches over the townscape as he finds himself in a dilemma as to whether he should participate in society or hide from it.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Standley |first=Michelle |date=2017-02-01 |title=Bhupen Khakhar You Can’t Please All |url=https://brooklynrail.org/2017/02/artseen/Bhupen-Khakhar |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=The Brooklyn Rail |language=en-US}}</ref> The painting explores the conflict between conventional wisdom and individuality, and challenges social taboos vis-à-vis homosexuality.<ref>{{Cite web |title=10 iconic works of modern Indian art - Galaxy of Musicians (1889) |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/miscellaneous/10-iconic-works-of-modern-indian-art/you-cant-please-all-1981/slideshow/64903943.cms |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=The Economic Times}}</ref> The title aptly summarizes the subject of the painting: one cannot make everyone happy.

In the painting, the figure shows his nude posterior to the viewer, a position which resembles that of the subject in [[David Hockney|David Hockney's]] 1966 artwork, ''[[Peter Getting Out of Nick's Pool]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jumabhoy |first=Zehra |date=2016-10-01 |title=Bhupen Khakhar |url=https://www.artforum.com/events/bhupen-khakhar-3-224196/ |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=Artforum |language=en-US}}</ref>

The painting, which is defined by colours and contrasts, has varying levels of thickness of paint. Although the surface is relatively smooth, some brush strokes are visible.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tate |title=‘You Can’t Please All‘, Bhupen Khakhar, 1981 |url=https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/khakhar-you-cant-please-all-t07200 |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=Tate |language=en-GB}}</ref>

''You Can't Please All'' was acquired by [[Tate]] in 1996.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bhupen Khakhar: You Can't Please All {{!}} IIAS |url=https://www.iias.asia/the-newsletter/article/bhupen-khakhar-you-cant-please-all |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=www.iias.asia}}</ref>

==References==
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You Can’t Please All - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Creating a new article