Collection: Baadiiyan

Artist - Rohan Anvekar
Watercolour Paintings On Handmade Paper  

The series Baadiiyan // बाड़ियाँ - meaning homes, deploys traditional mountain homes as bands of motifs to depict the soul of these structures that are more than dwellings, carrying stories, seasons, and tradition within their walls. This series of watercolour paintings on handmade paper, by Rohan Anvekar, are fragrant with the essence of Kangri mountain architecture, depicted in a semi-realistic painting style. Using the flow technique, Rohan blends natural colours into soft textures and organic transitions that reflect the rugged charm of these hilled structures. Himalayan architecture itself is a testament to harmony between human need and nature’s design — built from stone, wood, and mud, it stands as both shelter and sculpture, perfectly adapted to the earth. By depicting it in art, Rohan tries to preserve the wisdom of the ages.

The warm, earthen tones and minimal composition evoke simplicity and the calm rhythms of mountain life, inviting stillness and reflection. By embracing the natural behaviour of paint, letting water and pigment flow freely, Rohan mirrors the harmony of rural structuring, shaped by seasons and time. The soft edges and unhurried strokes become a metaphor for living in trust with nature, the very innate way of letting life unfold.The imagery is born of live painting in rural scapes and in the series, Rohan deliberately removes the modern neighbouring houses, allowing the traditional structures to stand alone in their quiet dignity. The surrounding negative space becomes a powerful device — like an old photograph framed on a wall — preserving the memory of a way of building and living that is now fading under the weight of disastorous modernity.

This choice transforms each composition into a testament, honoring a culture that continues to endure, reminding us of its resilience and timeless grace.