Nirantar II

J. Sultan Ali’s visual language started transforming from the figurative to the abstract around mid-1970s, and soon, his figurative symbols had metamorphosed into a concept of energy. These, however, did not adhere to any specific religious philosophy but gleaned from the abstract concept of the union of Purusha and Prakriti, the male and female principles. In this work, he expresses energy as a universal constant—nirantar translating into ‘without distinction.’ Pared down to monochrome black, white and grey, the absence of colour is deliberate, to prevent distraction from the seminal form, which is the union of the opposites to create the energy that drives the world.