Important Notice

Jagannath Panda’s body of work acts as his voice, one that is sensitive to the issues of urbanization and politics. The artist’s visual vocabulary leaves no room for romanticisation of the issues he addresses, rather, his focus remains steadfast on depicting them as objectively as possible. The visual imagery of Panda’s work is deceptively simple, however, it’s the rendering that brings out a sense of complexity, often fuelled by the use of... Jagannath Panda’s body of work acts as his voice, one that is sensitive to the issues of urbanization and politics. The artist’s visual vocabulary leaves no room for romanticisation of the issues he addresses, rather, his focus remains steadfast on depicting them as objectively as possible. The visual imagery of Panda’s work is deceptively simple, however, it’s the rendering that brings out a sense of complexity, often fuelled by the use of external material, such as silver foil, thread and tracing sheets, which add dramatic texture.

The present lot, painted in 2016, was a part of Saffronart’s The Last Supper exhibition in 2021, which featured works by 35 artists, each of whom reinterpreted da Vinci’s iconic painting in diverse styles and mediums. In his version, Panda “transposes the Last Supper on to the rim of an illusionistic Mantegna-style ceiling designed to look like the sky’s dome: Jesus and the Apostles seem to gaze down at us while curlicued Chinese-style clouds swirl above them.” (Ranjit Hoskote, “The Perennial Mystique of The Last Supper,” The Last Supper, New Delhi: Saffronart and Aleph Book Company in association with Namtech Fine Art, 2019, p. 15)

Read More
Artist Profile
Other works of this artist in: this auction  |  entire site