Steps in a rural village, Rajasthan 

Editor: Jyoti Bhatt's monochrome photograph, "Steps in a rural village, Rajasthan", presents an intimate moment within a stark landscape. It's evocative of another time, isn't it? Curator: Indeed. The composition immediately strikes me; it's the geometric interplay that dominates. The stark, rectilinear steps juxtaposed with the textured, almost painterly quality of the wall... It creates a fascinating formal tension. Editor: For me, the most compelling part is the layering of symbolism. The figure, wrapped in a shawl, seems almost dwarfed by the wall, yet she anchors the entire scene. Then, you have Hanuman depicted so playfully – such a stark contrast to her demeanor. Curator: The contrast is deliberate, surely. Bhatt's manipulation of light and shadow enhances the depth and texture of the built environment, lending to its structural importance within the frame. The figure serves as a vital structural link, but its humanism has almost secondary weight to the environment itself. Editor: Perhaps the artist sought to depict the interconnectedness between the spiritual, the personal, and the quotidian. Hanuman, a symbol of strength and devotion, watches over this scene. Perhaps she represents a connection to something timeless in this setting. Curator: Possibly, but let’s consider the geometry again, the angularity is echoed within the patterns applied to the architecture—notice, it is not overtly a symbolic image. The composition’s elements all contribute to a cohesive structural balance. The photograph functions on the surface. Editor: I still find her solemn presence incredibly affecting. I see it almost as a modern Madonna figure. It adds layers of meaning – about protection, vulnerability. Even those geometrical designs adorning the wall feel like protective emblems. Curator: Whether the photograph aims to represent those ideals explicitly seems less significant than its ability to express them structurally through line and form. A study of shapes in a landscape becomes its subject. Editor: And maybe, in turn, that inherent geometry is what makes that emotional connection so powerfully clear. Bhatt leaves it to the eye of the beholder, truly.