A Print from Saundarya Lahiri 1974

Akkitham Narayanan made this print from Saundarya Lahiri with inks on paper. Look at the way Narayanan builds the image, layer upon layer, line upon line, like a palimpsest, revealing a creative process. The color palette is really interesting too, those earth-toned greens, reds and browns give the work a sense of groundedness and organic connection. I really love the texture of the print. It’s not a smooth, slick surface. It feels like you could almost reach out and touch the paper, tracing the lines with your fingers. See how the patterns repeat but are never quite identical? There’s a handmade quality to the work which speaks to the artist's touch, so you feel the direct connection to the artist. The marks have a graphic quality, like the letterforms in Cy Twombly’s paintings, where writing becomes an abstract gesture. Artists like Narayanan remind us that art is always a conversation, a continual exploration of the same themes and ideas, reinterpreted and re-imagined by each new generation.