Ved Nayar’s exploration of hedonism and consumerism of contemporary society through figures with stretched limbs has become the leitmotif of his art. Often painted in a blue palette, these figures have become powerful symbols of mindless consumption of our times where people reach for the stars yet have no idea of what lies beneath their feet. In this self-portrait too, Nayar uses the device of stretching the body to create a bust of a person who has become so numb in the senseless rat race that a bird has actually nested in his beard.
published references
Singh, Kishore, ed., Indian Portraits: The Face of a People (New Delhi: DAG, 2013), p. 350
Ved Nayar
Conceptual Self-Portrait
Acrylic and charcoal on paper
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Ved Nayar
Conceptual Self-Portrait
Acrylic and charcoal on paper
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