The inner light

When Satish Gupta shuts his eyes, he sees Sandro Botticelli8217;s The Birth of Venus, which inspires him to celebrate life

When Satish Gupta shuts his eyes, he sees Sandro Botticelli8217;s The Birth of Venus, which inspires him to celebrate life
Some works of art leave a lasting impression on the mind. For me, Sandro Botticelli8217;s The Birth of Venus has a strength and beauty that is eternal. During my student days, I would read about the work of the Renaissance era artist, even though it wasn8217;t a part of the curriculum at the Delhi College of Art.

I would admire images of his artwork and often turned to The Birth of Venus due to its dreamlike quality and the inner light that I felt it emitted. When I was studying in Paris during my 20s, I took a trip to Florence just to see the work that is part of the collection at the Uffizi Gallery. Its magnanimous size surprised me and looking at it in person was an altogether different experience, which I would compare to seeing the pictures of the Taj Mahal and then actually visiting the monument.

The technique of sfumato, where Botticelli has painted several layers on the canvas, gives more depth to the work. Every face is beautifully moulded, the gentle smile on the faces adds to their charm and every shadow is defined. Colours of jade and blue in tempera on canvas make it look like a dream.

I still have an image of the work with me, and have seen it four to five times during my subsequent trips to Florence. It is imbibed in my mind, I just need to shut my eyes. There has been no direct influence of the canvas on my work, but I try to paint with the same devotion and dedication that Botticelli did. I often feel that contemporary art has become obsessed with death and ugliness, which is not required.

Even back then, in the Renaissance era, all wasn8217;t really hunky-dory or peaceful and there were struggles, but artists showcased beauty and joy. I too aspire to celebrate life through my art.

Vandana Kalra

Vandana Kalra is an art critic and Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. She has spent more than two decades chronicling arts, culture and everyday life, with modern and contemporary art at the heart of her practice. With a sustained engagement in the arts and a deep understanding of India’s cultural ecosystem, she is regarded as a distinctive and authoritative voice in contemporary art journalism in India. Vandana Kalra's career has unfolded in step with the shifting contours of India’s cultural landscape, from the rise of the Indian art market to the growing prominence of global biennales and fairs. Closely tracking its ebbs and surges, she reports from studios, galleries, museums and exhibition spaces and has covered major Indian and international art fairs, museum exhibitions and biennales, including the Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Documenta, Islamic Arts Biennale. She has also been invited to cover landmark moments in modern Indian art, including SH Raza’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the opening of the MF Husain Museum in Doha, reflecting her long engagement with the legacies of India’s modern masters. Alongside her writing, she applies a keen editorial sensibility, shaping and editing art and cultural coverage into informed, cohesive narratives. Through incisive features, interviews and critical reviews, she brings clarity to complex artistic conversations, foregrounding questions of process, patronage, craft, identity and cultural memory. The Global Art Circuit: She provides extensive coverage of major events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival, and high-profile international auctions. Artist Spotlights: She writes in-depth features on modern masters (like M.F. Husain) and contemporary performance artists (like Marina Abramović). Art and Labor: A recurring theme in her writing is how art reflects the lives of the marginalized, including migrants, farmers, and labourers. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent portfolio is dominated by the coverage of the 2025 art season in India: 1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale & Serendipity Arts Festival "At Serendipity Arts Festival, a 'Shark Tank' of sorts for art and crafts startups" (Dec 20, 2025): On how a new incubator is helping artisans pitch products to investors. "Artist Birender Yadav's work gives voice to the migrant self" (Dec 17, 2025): A profile of an artist whose decade-long practice focuses on brick kiln workers. "At Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a farmer’s son from Patiala uses his art to draw attention to Delhi’s polluted air" (Dec 16, 2025). "Kochi Biennale showstopper Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art" (Dec 7, 2025): An interview with the world-renowned artist on the power of reinvention. 2. M.F. Husain & Modernism "Inside the new MF Husain Museum in Qatar" (Nov 29, 2025): A three-part series on the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha, exploring how a 2008 sketch became the architectural core of the museum. "Doha opens Lawh Wa Qalam: Celebrating the modernist's global legacy" (Nov 29, 2025). 3. Art Market & Records "Frida Kahlo sets record for the most expensive work by a female artist" (Nov 21, 2025): On Kahlo's canvas The Dream (The Bed) selling for $54.7 million. "All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork" (Nov 19, 2025). "What’s special about a $12.1 million gold toilet?" (Nov 19, 2025): A quirky look at a flushable 18-karat gold artwork. 4. Art Education & History "Art as play: How process-driven activities are changing the way children learn art in India" (Nov 23, 2025). "A glimpse of Goa's layered history at Serendipity Arts Festival" (Dec 9, 2025): Exploring historical landmarks as venues for contemporary art. Signature Beats Vandana is known for her investigative approach to the art economy, having recently written about "Who funds the Kochi-Muziris Biennale?" (Dec 11, 2025), detailing the role of "Platinum Benefactors." She also explores the spiritual and geometric aspects of art, as seen in her retrospective on artist Akkitham Narayanan and the history of the Cholamandal Artists' Village (Nov 22, 2025). ... Read More