In 2002, Amit Ambalal, one of the pre-eminent figurative artists of the country, produced a gouache painting called ‘Jala-Krida’ (‘jala’ is water, ‘krida’ is play), where a lone swimmer is oblivious to the presence of an alligator sidling up to him in the water. The swimmer’s carefree state of mind is depicted through a burst of yellow oleanders around him. The painting has signature Ambalal traits: irony, humour, a certain expansive beauty and a fondness for animal metaphors. As part of his ongoing Delhi exhibition In the Garden of Sumeru (at Gallery Espace from January 23 to March 1), the veteran artist has produced another painting with the name ‘Jala-Krida’ (watercolour on paper, 12.5 x 16 inches), also an underwater scene, this time featuring an elephant alongside turtles and herons. The exhibition includes over 30 paintings by Ambalal in the past two years, mostly watercolours and acrylic-on-canvas works.
