Adda 1

The subject of this picture is a tea stall vendor in Santiniketan. We buy tea morning and evening ; he is an essential part of our surroundings,  but in our eyes he has no individual life; he is merely a supplier of tea .

I have shown the tea stall in the afternoon, when it is deserted, for everyone has gone inside to escape the mid-day sun. He, however, is at his stall for he has no other place to go. This is where he relaxes, melding in with the background. The atmosphere is affected by the heat and the residual smoke from the wood fire. Thus the predominant colours of the painting are shades of yellow, burnt sienna and black.