Mermaid in Lotus Pond IV 2008

Jahar Dasgupta made this painting, Mermaid in Lotus Pond IV, with what looks like thin layers of oil paint, a medium that allows for building up colour and form gradually, a little like a slow reveal. See how the purpley-reds create a kind of dreamlike atmosphere? The paint isn’t overworked; it’s like Dasgupta is letting the colours breathe and blend, almost as if they have a life of their own. The mermaid's skin shimmers with soft peach tones, making her almost ethereal against the dark, mysterious pond. I keep coming back to how the lotus leaves are rendered. Look at the way the edges of the leaves are defined with dark lines, and the subtle shading inside. There is a tension here between flat pattern and depth, that feels very contemporary. This push and pull makes me think of the work of Etel Adnan, where colour and line create a similar sense of wonder. Ultimately, this piece embraces a kind of open-endedness, inviting us to bring our own stories to the surface.