Just as the Earth revolves around the sun, so do Rajesh Desai’s light-filled paintings. This talented watercolor artist from Pune—a district in the state of Maharashtra, India—embraces his historically-rich and ever-evolving surroundings with an attentive focus on the beauty that natural light offers.
“Light gives depth to any image, whether it is the leaf of a plant or a staircase. . . it is the sun of the morning that steals the glory,” he says poetically. Rajesh also draws much of his inspiration from Pune university’s dense botanical trees, which we see in Morning in Coastal India, below.
With cheerful, vibrant colors that scream “tropical paradise,” Rajesh pulls my attention towards sunlight wafting sleepily through the heavy canopy. A wide, well-traveled path breaks through the lush forest, bringing out the delicate balance between nature and civilization.
In Sunny Day, Rajesh has crafted a more energetic response to that first painting, showcasing two people skipping through the streets with children playfully balanced upon their shoulders.
Strategically placed ruts in the road and angular overhead power lines draw my eyes directly toward the building on the right, with its brilliant red roof and sun-kissed walls. Of course, sunlight plays another huge role in this painting as well, streaming onto the road, glowing off the roof, and even buried within a cloudy sky.
Lastly, Walking High portrays an appealing composition of seemingly endless stairs leading up to an apartment complex.
In my opinion, painting a staircase is one of the hardest objects to master, but Rajesh overcomes this by demonstrating that each step doesn’t have to be perfectly aligned, nor overly detailed to create an accurate representation.
The towering angle of the building paired with an upwardly looking composition harmonizes well with these imperfections and makes the painting much more interesting to look at. Add a splash of hanging greenery and patches of brick lining the complex, and you’ve got a refreshingly urban painting—a nice change of pace from the previous two.
Check out many more of Rajesh’s beautiful landscapes and floral paintings by visiting his online gallery. You’ll be glad you did!