Banaras at Dawn (Triptych)

Manu Parekh first came to Banaras to seek inspiration that he had lost upon shifting to New Delhi from Calcutta in mid-1970s. He got what he was seeking, and his Banaras series, which he began painting in 1979-80, has become the most defining work of his career, from which, this large work is a recent and a seminal example. It’s a busy, atmospheric work that captures the quivering stillness by the ghats of Ganga at dawn, the river dark in the light barely breaking, waves glistening silver, and trees looming as silhouettes in the background. The sun is present through the golden glow while boats and temples throb in anticipation of the arrival of devotees.