Ashish Shirangi

This monochromatic work carries a quiet but commanding presence, drawing the viewer into a world of symbolic figuration and ritual geometry. The central profile of a figure—rendered in stark black against gradients of grey and white—emerges like an icon carved in stone. The sharp contour of the face, adorned with ornamental motifs, recalls ancient reliefs, while the flowing linear forms around it resemble a headdress or crown interwoven with serpentine curves, birds, and floral emblems.

Unlike the vibrant palette of the earlier painting, here the restricted tones of black, grey, and white heighten the sense of solemnity and monumentality. The work suggests a timeless archetype: a guardian, a deity, or a mythic ancestor. Its dense network of lines creates both ornament and enclosure, as if the figure is framed within a sacred architecture.

The play between figuration and abstraction, narrative and symbolism, is central to the painting’s appeal. The image feels both modern and archaic—rooted in India’s indigenous and mythological visual traditions, yet transformed through a distinctly modernist sensibility. It is less a portrait of an individual than a meditation on cultural memory, spirituality, and the continuity of symbols across time