Wall decorations on a farmer's house, Rajasthan 1976

This photograph, by Jyoti Bhatt, captures wall decorations on a farmer's house in Rajasthan. What strikes me is the bold use of line, the way simple strokes create these lively peacock forms against the textured wall. Artmaking here feels immediate, a direct expression of the everyday. The wall itself is the canvas, with its rough surface and earthy tones, providing a backdrop to the crisp white lines of the painted birds. You can almost feel the texture of the wall, the way the paint might catch on the uneven surface. Looking at the peacock on the right, the way the lines curve and flow reminds me of Matisse's cut-outs. The birds seem to dance and preen on the wall, their elegant shapes juxtaposed with the tools and implements scattered at the base of the wall. It’s a wonderful image, full of life and energy. It feels like a conversation between tradition and modernity, between the functional and the decorative. Art, after all, is always an ongoing dialogue, a constant reimagining of what has come before.