Bird, Tree and Mountain 1972

Jagdish Swaminathan made this painting with what looks like crayons or soft pastels, working into a pale yellow ground to describe these geometric shapes. It’s all about colour and form, this slightly odd and whimsical landscape. I love the idea of making mountains into geometric blocks, little facets of colour held by sketchy lines. Look at the lower mountain—each plane has a slightly different hue, like the artist took the time to work into each section. And that small, tiny bird sitting on top, perched like an idea. It reminds me of the early modernists, who turned to folk art to find new ways of seeing. There’s a sense of playfulness in it, a kind of gentle, searching curiosity. What does it mean to create an image of nature that is both abstract and figurative? It makes me think about how we all, as artists, are in conversation with one another, building on what came before, even as we break new ground.