Original artwork description:

This painting is the sixth in my series called "Pitara - my Indian treasure trove". This is my still life series in oils that turns a Flemish eye on my country.
Ujjwal is a celebration of an ancient yet contemporary Indian symbol - the diya or lamp. Lighting a lamp is deeply ingrained in the Indian cultural fabric and is symbolic of dispelling darkness and ignorance, and of welcoming light, knowledge and prosperity into our homes. In Indian homes, lamps made of brass or terracotta have been lit since time immemorial - for worship, as well as at the doorstep.
Deepawali or Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, marks the zenith of the festival calendar in India, when we welcome auspiciousness into our homes by lighting rows of lamps.
The photorealistic paintings in my Pitara series present the rich, earthy and warm tones of traditional India, capturing glimpses of its culture. The deep shadows and play of light on traditional materials draw inspiration from Flemish paintings and so does the multi-layered technique used to render these still life paintings. Through this series, I present Indian heritage through the lens of Flemish still life - a Western idiom vastly different from the art traditions of India. The language is Flemish and still life, the ideas and expressions Indian.

Materials used:

Oil on primed pintura fine grain canvas

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