Om Soorya. (India, B. 1977). "Tree of Life and a Lover". 2008. Watercolor on paper. Signed and dated.
Unframed dimensions: 22.75 in x 31.5 in (57.7cm x 80 cm)
This work is custom framed and in excellent condition.

One of Contemporary Indian artist Om Soorya's most visually and compositionally complex watercolor paintings to date, "Tree of Life and a Lover" stands as an exciting example of the very best work by this young, internationally acclaimed artist. The complex compositional scene has a folk-art feel, with a palette based on organic ink tones of maroon and deep brown. The central image is a man's body lying in repose, with roots and a tree growing upwards from his body. The feeling of folk-art and tradition is here, as Soorya paints his own mythical narrative in a manner that combines the organic nature of materials with a wide variety of abstract and representational figures, that together create a powerful, surreal and fascinating tableau. The quiet and poignant beauty of this work, as reflected in the title, underscores Soorya's interest in both traditions and myths of days past to represent Contemporary themes such as love, family and identity.

Maintaining a surrealist edge to much of his paintings, Contemporary Indian artist Om Soorya (B. 1977) embraces rich palette, powerful moods, and fluid strokes which capture intensely realistic scenes. Highly imaginative environments mix with strong plays of light to create meditative and ethereal scenes, seemingly frozen in time and space. Soorya’s work aims to portray the fragile relationship between the anxieties of material living and the man’s desire for a Zen-like visual reality. Soorya has exhibited at such venues as Palette Art Gallery (New Delhi, India), The Guild (New York, NY and Mumbai, India), and Galleria Dell’Arco (Palermo, Italy), among others.