Grishma

This painting belongs to a series by Manisha Gera Baswani called Luminously between Eternities and its title Grishma is a truncation of the Sanskrit word for summer, Grishmarutu. The palm at the centre of the work has a very evocative yet meditative quality, with a world of texture evident in the leaves and the bark of the tree. Gera Baswani has been able to successfully combine elements such as, space, colour and decorative forms to create deeply layered compositions. However, the artist emphasises that her works don’t require deep analysis; they tell a simple, innocent story.

Manisha Gera Baswani is a modern Indian artist who reinterprets and reinvents age-old Indian miniature paintings, folk and wall painting traditions into her contemporary compositions—read more about the artist and see other works by her here. She creates a new visual language using these traditional forms of art making as inspiration. Subsequently, she also often draws visual imagery from pop-culture icons such as Elvis Presley, James Bond, etc. Her inspirations therefore cover a wide spectrum. Gera Baswani received her Masters degree in Fine Arts from Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia University, where she also met her mentor and guru, A Ramachadaran. She got interested in photography at the same time and soon developed a fine body of work in the medium. Gera Baswani’s photographs were shown twice at the Kochi Biennale. She has exhibited her paintings and photography both abroad and in India, and her art is a part of the collection at the National Gallery of Modern Art.