"Journey of the Self" by Rachna Radar in Pittsburgh

This painting is meant to reflect my own journey and is very auto-biographical compared to my other pieces. The self-portrait is a new direction I have found myself in and is serving as a great form of empowerment for myself and in developing my voice as an artist. The imagery on the right is meant to represent my heritage and journey as an artist, specifically with the Indian architecture and iconography. The left side is meant to represent the Western influences, such as Classical and Renaissance art and architecture and the way the faces show them looking at my hand with the brush is meant to represent their acknowledgement and awareness of Eastern culture and its influence. The chakras hovering in front of my hand represent my ancestry and lineage, which is always present within me. The foreground of the mushroom images and tribal iconography is meant to represent ancient influences that impact my love for music and dancing, which is represented by the headphones I am holding in my left hand. The way the hand depicts the headphones is meant to represent an offering being made to celestial and wise beings from time immemorial. The stairs are meant to represent the ever-growing process of development as an artist and as a human being.