Rangoli Art Print – The Woven Labyrinth

Provenance

This rangoli-inspired art print draws on 'padi kolam', the South Indian threshold art in which bands of parallel lines are drawn into stepped, squared and interlocking formations. Here that linear vocabulary becomes a dense field of interwoven bands that fold into squared spirals and seem to pass over and under one another like threads in a loom, softened by lotus motifs and enclosed by ornamental borders. Rather than depicting a scene, the composition holds the eye through repetition, symmetry and the slow discovery of small variations, carrying the order of a festive floor design onto the wall.

The central field is divided by a vertical spine of deep indigo, along which small four-petalled flowers alternate with golden sprigs of leaves, and at intervals short cross-bars carry further sprigs outward like branches. On either side, bands of ivory, rust, teal and olive turn at right angles into squared spirals, locking into one another so that no single line can be followed from end to end. Small dark panels punctuate the weave, each set with a gold roundel or a short column of dots. At the midpoint of each long side and at every corner, a fan of lotus-like petals in rust, teal and green opens outward, while stepped corner blocks and a border of oval beads contain the whole. The effect is of a single continuous textile, orderly yet endlessly busy, with the flowering spine giving it a quiet vertical pulse.

The palette of rust, teal, olive, indigo and ivory is set against a warm parchment ground, softened by mottled, weathered tones that give the image the look of an aged painted surface. Crisp ivory outlines separate every band, so that the colour reads as a mosaic of small fields rather than a single wash. That weathering, and the impression of worn pigment, belong to the original design; the Brahm piece is a made-to-order print that reproduces this appearance on a smooth surface.

Disclaimer:

• The frames shown are for display purposes only and are not included with the artwork.
• As these are made-to-order designer pieces, expect minor colour variations from the displayed artwork.