Ashish Shirangi

This work continues the artist’s deep engagement with symbolic figuration, but it introduces another striking layer: text. Scattered across the surface are inscriptions in Hindi, inscribed almost like annotations on a manuscript or notations on a diagram. These words — कर्म (karma), धर्म (dharma), सत्य (truth), among others — transform the painting into a philosophical chart, as though mapping the structure of human existence.

The central figure, again in strict profile, is defined by bold contours and segmented forms. Its headgear and ornaments extend outward like a complex network of thought or energy. Snakes, birds, geometric shapes, and vegetal motifs merge with script, suggesting that language and image, myth and philosophy, are inseparable.

Rendered in black, grey, and white, the painting evokes the austerity of stone inscriptions or ancient cave drawings, yet it carries a modernist energy through its stylization and rhythm of line. The monochrome palette heightens the meditative, timeless quality, making the figure feel like both a deity and a diagram of cosmic principles.In contrast to the earlier colourful painting, which radiates sensual vitality and mythic exuberance, this one feels more introspective and analytical—almost like a coded philosophical text disguised as an artwork.