An artist of Indian origin, Arun Bose (1934 – 2007) lived and worked in New York. His images of deserted old buildings with courtyards, terraces with occasional peacocks, or their shadows silhouetted against old walls seem haunted by memories of medieval India. He used layers of paints, which he occasionally rubbed with a rag dipped in alcohol to achieve the texture of old worn stones. The charm of Bose’s paintings however, lies in their smooth lacquer-like finish and immaculate craftsmanship. In Bose’s own words in the Christian Science Monitor, ‘Shadow is much more mysterious than life. If I see life, I see everything. But if I see shadow, only the silhouette – the rest you imagine. I like mystery’.