The Angel

Artist: Nawal Kishore
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 30 × 36 inches (76.2 × 91.44 cm)
Year: 2021

In The Angel, a richly layered and visually arresting portrait that interweaves symbolism, memory, and personal mythology. At the center of the composition stands a woman, likely of South Asian descent, captured in a moment of deep contemplation or inner gesture. Her pose, hands raised toward her head, suggests an intimate moment of reflection, resilience, or spiritual presence. Her clothing, rendered in striking detail, reflects both cultural rootedness and expressive abstraction. A brilliant red skirt, patterned with petal-like shapes in tones of red and orange, anchors her form with rhythmic, organic movement. Contrasting this is a light-blue, patterned top and a delicately painted head covering, offering tonal harmony and a sense of emotional grace. The textures throughout the clothing are tactile, suggesting fabric, tradition, and personal history.

Set against a luminous golden-brown backdrop, the figure radiates strength and complexity. But the background is far from passive. Upon closer inspection, it reveals an intricate tapestry of smaller faces, figures, and scenes, stylized vignettes that seem to emerge from the depths of the canvas. These embedded forms feel like fragments of the woman’s past, her dreams, or her cultural surroundings. They may represent family, community, or aspects of the subconscious, allowing viewers to interpret the painting as both a portrait and a psychological landscape.

One particularly intriguing detail is a small, carefully placed scorpion in the upper right area of the canvas. Its presence is subtle yet loaded with symbolic potential, perhaps representing danger, hidden strength, transformation, or emotional defense. As with much of Kishore’s work, such symbols are left open to interpretation, deepening the viewer’s engagement with the piece. The artist’s use of deep, warm tones, earthy reds, muted greens, soft golds, and burnished browns, imbues the work with both visual richness and emotional weight. The layering of paint creates a textured surface that invites closer viewing, rewarding attention with hidden narratives and painterly depth.

The Angel is not merely a portrait, it is a poetic exploration of identity, emotion, and lived experience. Through its symbolic intricacies and expressive form, Nawal Kishore invites us to witness the inner world of a woman shaped by memory, resilience, and grace, at once earthly and ethereal.