Detail of Lake Gadisar © Ajit Ghai
Artist’s Statement
All through my training in sketching and painting, I was inspired by Bargue and Gérôme’s Cours de dessin to reproduce what I saw in real life and the natural world. Included below is one of my sketches (2016) of Bargue’s Plate I, 63:
Sketch of Bargue Plate I, 63 © Ajit Ghai
The following three paintings are from photographs I took on my trip to Rajasthan (India) in 2012. They are all done in oil on canvas.
Lake Gadisar was built in 1156 in the sandy district of Jaisalmer that lies in the heart of the Thar Desert. This spread of water in a region surrounded by treeless sands exists as an essential anomaly that once provided water to the entire city.
Lake Gadisar © Ajit Ghai
The painting Rajasthan Camel Herders, Jaisalmer is reminiscent of an ancient form of transportation that has survived for centuries. It is as old as India and neighbouring countries. The desert sands that blow in the wind know no barriers and tell few stories. They are eternal.
Rajasthan Camel Herders, Jaisalmer © Ajit Ghai
Jodhpur Fort Wall depicts the flat and narrow walls of the famous Mehrangarh Fort built in 1459 by Rao Jodha. What you often see in pictures is the large and imposing structure of this fort, but the painting below depicts the extent of what I saw between two walls. The narrow stretch of blue, the distant gold, and the flight of birds is what has existed for centuries.
Jodhpur Fort Wall © Ajit Ghai
