Sunrise On The Ganges

The first painting resulting from my recent trip to India, this is the unmistakable Varanasi (Benares) that lies on the banks of the River Ganges, one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. It is based on a boat trip along the the ghats at sunrise I went on although in this picture I have made it more of a fantasy than a topographical painting as I have moved buildings around for compositional purposes. I have based the whole picture around pinks so it is sort of a limited palette tonal painting but using quite a rich colouring. So another kind of Orientalist painting that I may take to Illuxcon in October depending on feedback and what else I have to choose from when the time comes.
Oil on linen 22" x 16". There is a step-by-step progress through this painting in previous posts on this blog.