Size: 59.7 x 59.6 cm (23.5 x 23.4 inches)
Frame Size: 64 x 63.9 cm (25.2 x 25 inches)

Signed and dated by the artist
Signed and dated Atin Bask '02' (lower right); inscribed ATIN BASAK/ SHARP KNIFE AND THE SEEDS RAIN (on the reverse)

This artwork by Atin Basak is a compelling example of contemporary Indian surrealism, merging elements of still life, portraiture, and symbolic abstraction within a compartmentalized composition.

The painting is divided into two vertical sections: the left side dominated by a vivid, almost Fauvist red background against which a green bell pepper, bisected to reveal its inner anatomy, is juxtaposed with the stark silhouette of a black knife. This section evokes themes of domesticity, mortality, and transformation through a minimal but powerful visual lexicon.

The right side presents a more introspective narrative, rendered in warm, earthy ochres and browns. A stylized human profile emerges from a textured plane reminiscent of ancient fresco techniques, possibly referencing classical Indian sculpture or Renaissance portraiture. Above the figure, a dark green chili pepper curves downward, its form mirrored in a surreal, dreamlike manner, while golden seed-like motifs rain down from the upper portion, suggesting fertility, memory, or the passage of time.

Basak's use of chiaroscuro enhances the sculptural quality of the face, drawing attention to the psychological depth of the figure. The composition plays with dualities the organic and the artificial, the sensual and the cerebral invoking a metaphysical inquiry rooted in both Indian visual culture and global modernist traditions.

Good Condition