Mahesh Baliga’s paintings are layered not only with pigment but with the rich sediment of art history, visual quotes from predecessors, and fragments of the world around him. He is a painter’s painter, navigating a delicate space between semi-realism and restrained magic realism. Baroda, his home and workspace, becomes a living presence in his canvases. His recent works are subtle, where critiques are implied, and observations heightened, yet confrontation is kept at bay. His recent explorations of Santiniketan echo a film buff’s pilgrimage to sites from beloved scenes, only to find the enchantment waning in daylight. Baliga’s figures remain isolated, locked within their own orbits, unresponsive to one another. His world is one of images held in tension, where every glance, every figure, hints at something deeper just out of reach.