Gulam Rasool Santosh

Acquired directly from the artist's family, New Delhi, 2004

K. Singh ed., Awakening, A Retrospective of G. R. Santosh, Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi, 2011, p. 149 illus.

K. Singh ed., G. R. Santosh, The Artist As Yogi, Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi, 2012, p. 40 illus

in good overall condition, minor surface abrasions and surface dirt, as viewed
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This vertically symmetrical picture plane consists of an anthropomorphic figure seated in a stylized padmasana, the meditative lotus position. Santosh has decorated the body with yantras, or sacred geometrical symbols, that signify the regenerative aspects of consciousness. The face is composed of a circular naad bindu, representing the cosmos in its equivocal state, sharing an axis with geometric tantric shapes at the abdomen. An upward triangle, a masculine symbol, exists in the same ovoid nucleus as a downward triangle, the mark of the female. The curved contours of the body delineate a voluptuous feminine aspect, softening the angular lines. In Shaivite faith, the fusion of male and female energy suggests the oneness of all things and the eternal harmony of the universe. It is the perfect balance of Shiva’s static, male consciousness and Shakti’s dynamic, female power that first creates and then preserves the universe.

Santosh encloses the patterns of the universe in bright colors and fleshy forms. The figure is acutely vivid in a striking yellow colour, an expression of the Shaivist belief that deems each person inherently enlightened. The painted borders on the canvas and the multiple limbs, layers and fragments composing this creation express the multifaceted and infinite nature of the individual as it connects with its nuanced environment. Santosh’s neo-Tantric works were a means to his sadhana, or transformative process, which converted his spiritual being. He states 'The common perception about tantra has been one of magic. Art related to tantra has been informed by the same perception' (K. Singh, Awakening: A Retrospective of G.R.Santosh, Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi, 2011, p.39).