Signal Tablets 1974

Jagdish Swaminathan created *Signal Tablets* with oil paint, though when exactly remains a mystery. I love how this painting feels like a dream. Like it emerged slowly from the subconscious. The dark palette with highlights of ochre and gold reminds me of cave paintings, with these strange motifs that could be writing, or symbols, or just marks. I imagine Swaminathan layering the paint, wiping it away, adding more, searching for the right combination of textures and shapes. What was he thinking as he pressed his hand into the wet paint, leaving these ghostly prints? Did he feel like he was communicating with an ancient spirit or just having fun? The surface feels aged, like he wanted to give the impression that it already existed, like it wasn’t a brand-new thing. This piece reminds me of the work of Antoni Tàpies or even Cy Twombly—artists who are in conversation with the past, experimenting with a visual language all their own. Painting can be like that; an ongoing conversation across time.