Jagannath Panda (b. 1970)

Canvas appears to be in good overall condition. One minor stain along right edge.
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The current painting was part of a series that was first exhibited in London which continues Panda's exploration of the polarities of the Indian contemporary experience. The series provides an unique visual narrative to the clashes of tradition and modernity, rural idyll and urban dream, myth and contemporary reality, which he describes so precisely in his work.  Utilizing visions of construction and various animals taken from myth and daily life, Panda turns a very critical eye on the festering march of the modern urban world, displacing ancient cultural beliefs and systems, which in their turn, are also lamented for their loss.  The tiger, symbol of Indian power, and vahana of the goddess Durga ( worshipped by many in Orissa, Panda's native state ), is often depicted in these works, symbolizing this desperate clash of times past and present.  

In this work, we are witness to the spectacle of the city apartment dwelling, the man atop the older balcony spewing forth the poison of the modern city, witnessed by the quick build high-rise apartment block peeking in on the left of the composition.  The draped clothing, a mix of old and new, hangs over another balcony, including a tiger skin, like a hunting trophy, a sad echo of the past glory of a magnificent royal animal, emblem of the nation, now discarded and left out to dry.  The land where the animal once roamed now part of the building program carried out throughout India in the name of progress.   Above, the voracious crows sit waiting to feast on scraps, perched on the pipes or electric wires that have been cut off so abruptly, and dangle dangerously into the picture view.  It is a painting, that, in it's simplicity, sums up many of the artist's preoccupations in a subtle and provoking manner.  The style is at once reminiscent of the unusual perspectives of Indian Miniature painting yet the manner of depiction is closer to the Baroda style of post war India heralded by artists like Bhupen Khakkar, so even here Panda provides us with a duality of style and experience central to the theme of his painting.