The Buddha 

Editor: Here we have “The Buddha,” a painting by Jahar Dasgupta, probably done with acrylics and possibly impasto. The intense blue really makes the golden face pop – it's mesmerizing. What do you see in this piece that maybe I'm missing? Curator: Well, first off, the artist plays with the icon, the universally recognized image, almost like remixing a familiar tune. It's a pop art Buddha, perhaps a meditation on meditation itself! What strikes me is the serenity emanating, despite the bold colours and slightly abstracted form. Does that resonate? Editor: Absolutely, I can see that now! The face is so still against the blue background and... are those silver teardrops? Or leaves, maybe? Curator: Ah, good eye! Leaves perhaps drifting, symbolic of detachment and impermanence, key Buddhist tenets. The stark contrast also throws it into sharp relief, no? A reminder, maybe, that peace isn’t always gentle pastels. There is sharpness, awareness in stillness. What do you make of the golden hue? Editor: Hmmm... Royalty? Divinity? Warmth? It brings me back to my childhood obsession with gold; it feels very alluring! Curator: Exactly! It’s the alchemical element, the path to enlightenment perhaps visualized in color. It's almost as if Dasgupta is using abstraction as a pathway to delve deeper into tradition rather than depart from it entirely, a neat bit of artistic jujitsu! I almost feel as though Dasgupta seeks to provoke something within us as viewers, asking about the place we locate calm and resolution, within ourselves and society. Editor: That's fascinating! I'll never look at this painting the same way again. It’s so much richer than my first impression. Thanks! Curator: And thank you. These conversations always enrich my appreciation. Every viewing reveals another hidden facet.