Untitled

Artist: Amit Rajvanshi
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 20 × 12 inches (50.8 × 30.48 cm)
Year: 2017 

study of abstraction through the motif of a stylized chess piece, widely interpreted as a king. The central form is meticulously constructed from a series of overlapping geometric shapes, primarily triangles and quadrilaterals, that fragment and reconfigure the piece into a multifaceted, almost crystalline entity. This compositional strategy recalls Cubist and post-Cubist practices, wherein multiple perspectives and planes are simultaneously articulated, allowing the viewer to engage with a multiplicity of visual narratives within a single frame. The fragmented surface of the chess piece also evokes the presence of multiple, subtly rendered faces, suggesting a polyphonic identity that transcends singular representation. This layering imbues the work with psychological complexity, as if the chess piece embodies not only an individual subject but a collective consciousness engaged in strategic positioning and existential negotiation.

The base of the chess piece continues this formal language, maintaining the geometric fragmentation and layered planar construction. This cohesion between figure and pedestal reinforces the structural integrity of the composition, anchoring the abstract form within its pictorial space. The background is defined by a checkerboard pattern, executed in muted blue-gray tones consistent with the palette of the central figure. This repetition of geometric forms across figure and ground creates an oscillating spatial dynamic, blurring the boundaries between foreground and background and generating a cohesive visual rhythm. The monochromatic scheme enhances the painting’s contemplative atmosphere, emphasizing formal relationships over chromatic distraction.

The canvas surface suggests a tactility heightened by the interplay of brushwork and geometric patterning. The layered application of acrylic paint adds depth and variation, contributing to the painting’s overall sense of materiality and physical presence. Rajvanshi’s work occupies a distinctive position in contemporary Indian abstraction, where symbolic motifs intersect with rigorous formal experimentation. By employing the chess motif, rich with connotations of strategy, power, and conflict, he situates his practice within a broader dialogue on human agency and social structures. The work’s restrained palette and fragmented geometry invite viewers to contemplate the interplay of identity and environment, order and fragmentation, presence and absence. Rajvanshi’s commitment to exploring abstraction as a means of articulating complex psychological and conceptual themes, situating him firmly within both global modernist traditions and regional artistic discourses.