Sense of Reality

Sense of Reality is a 3 x 3 ft abstract painting that explores organic movement as a way of understanding perception rather than representing objects. The work is built through layered, circular gestures that accumulate slowly, creating a surface that feels in constant motion. The painting does not depict reality as something fixed; instead, it examines how reality is sensed, constructed, and continuously reshaped through experience.

The dominant blue field establishes an expansive, atmospheric space. Blue here functions as both environment and state of mind—suggesting openness, distance, and calm, while also carrying subtle variations that prevent the surface from becoming static. The concentric movement draws the viewer inward, guiding the eye toward a central zone where pale yellow and muted earth tones emerge. This inner area feels provisional, as if reality itself is coalescing moment by moment.

The brushwork is deliberately repetitive and directional, emphasizing process over outcome. Each stroke records time and movement, echoing natural rhythms found in wind patterns, water currents, and geological formations. The painting’s surface becomes a map of attention—how the mind circles around sensation before forming meaning.

This work is informed by artists who approach abstraction as a perceptual and philosophical inquiry. The influence of Mark Rothko can be felt in the use of color as an immersive field rather than a compositional device. Gerhard Richter’s exploration of ambiguity and blurred perception informs the tension between clarity and dissolution. From Indian modernism, J. Swaminathan’s elemental approach to space and color resonates strongly, as does V.S. Gaitonde’s meditative treatment of surface and silence.

Sense of Reality resists immediate interpretation. It asks the viewer to slow down and remain within the movement of the painting, allowing perception to unfold gradually. In doing so, the work reflects an understanding of reality not as a stable image, but as an ongoing process shaped by awareness, memory, and attention.