Untitled (Phoenix) by Rabindranath Tagore. In his writings, Tagore describes grotesque animals as unliberated life-forms struggling to escape the confines of their own bodies. His close friend, the art historian Ananda Coomaraswamy, suggested that Tagore's strange paintings of birds might be veiled portraits of the leaders of the League of Nations, an idealistic organization for international unity that Tagore initially supported until he became frustrated by its internal bickering.