Study III: Sea of Untold Stories

In this painting Desmond Lazaro is highlighting his personal experience of belonging to two different places, a theme he addresses in a large number of his works. It is a miniature composition of a white bird (assumed to be a dove) resting on top of a three-paneled box, with a minimal colour palette and handmade pigments linking back to the methodologies within Pichwai painting. There is a certain dream-like whimsical quality to the composition with the presence of clouds and the reflection of the same bird that is right on top of the detailed white bird. The unfinished bird on top seems to be deliberately left incomplete and alludes to Lazaro’s dual identity and his multicultural existence.

Desmond Lazaro was born in Leeds, U.K. He travelled to India to pursue his MFA at the MSU Baroda. Lazaro was captivated by the traditional Indian style of Pichwai painting, a historic style of painting initiated in Rajasthan in India. Lazaro learned greatly about miniature painting techniques by studying for twelve years under the guidance of Jaipur Master Banu Ved Pal Sharma. Though his technique is rooted in the ancient practice, the subject matter he engages with looks at modernity itself, specially issues of migration and belonging.