Untitled

Artist: Somnath Kanjilal

Year: 2021

Medium: Pen and ink on paper

Context: COVID-19 pandemic & oxygen crisis

Style: Contemporary graphic / linocut-inspired

Theme: Survival, breath, urgency, human resilience.

Created in 2021 during the devastating peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, this pen-and-ink work by Somnath Kanjilal captures the haunting reality of a world struggling for breath.

A lone child ascends a fragile ladder toward a surreal canopy, where suspended forms evoke oxygen cylinders—lifelines that became symbols of desperation, survival, and inequality during the crisis. The stark red background pulses with urgency and distress, while the dense black imagery creates a sense of suffocation and confinement.

The tree-like structure transforms into a charged psychological space, filled with repetitive, eye-like motifs that suggest surveillance, fear, and the invisible spread of disease. The act of climbing becomes deeply symbolic—representing humanity’s fight for oxygen, hope, and continuity in the face of overwhelming loss.

Rendered in a bold, graphic style reminiscent of linocut traditions, the artwork stands as both a visual document and an emotional imprint of a time when breath itself became precious.