Contextualising
the self in multiple traditions
–a discussion on the paintings by
Poushali Das
Aparna Roy Baliga

Poushali doesn’t only uses the traditional language but even the medium of
tempera.She uses wash technique to get the subtleness required for her image
making .Textile becomes a part of her narration. She explores the richness of textile,
the varied texture eludes her and enriches the pictorial surface, traditional textiles
like brocade or block prints from Gujarat become a part of her work. Sometimes
the design of the textile gets so merged with the painted motifs that it becomes
difficult for one to discern. The pictorial construction is a serious concern for her,
the arrangement of figures or objects, the spacing reminds of the Indian painting
tradition as well as the Chinese paintings. The empty spaces become evocative.
Time and place loses it specificity, the context may be riot torn Gujarat but the
references in the paintings transcend time. In the work ‘The time that my journey
takes is long and the way of it long’ one observes the person moving around with
the incense stand/laman praying for the return of peace. The objects are arranged
according to psychological perspective and reminds one of the Zen paintings. These
objects like laman, sprinkler or the purdah are symbols culled out from the Islamic
culture. The work is in five panels which are not arranged according to any specific
order. But she puts them according to the demand of the composition towards the
end. Space is not structured but fluid, the interior and exterior interact and merge
with each other. The mystic idea of the inner and outer world is being transliterated
in pictorial terms. Texts appear as ornamental and again as descriptions which
inspired the visual narration.