Taj Mahal | 1998 | pen drawing on paper | 30 x 20 cm
Collection in Germany
In 1998, I took a memorable trip to Agra with my friend Otto Eberhardt, a German artist, to capture the majestic beauty of the Taj Mahal (completed in 1653). Our goal was to paint this iconic monument from a unique perspective—behind the Yamuna River, where Shah Jahan had planned to build a second mausoleum, the “Black Taj Mahal.”
We set out early in the morning, around 8 am, and arrived at the riverbank, where we hired a boat to cross the Yamuna. The boatman guided us across the calm waters, eventually taking us to a watchtower situated directly opposite the Taj Mahal. The view from this spot was truly unique.
For several hours, Otto and I worked tirelessly, creating numerous sketches, drawings, and watercolors of the Taj Mahal. Around 4 pm, we decided to return. As we were crossing the river, one of my drawings slipped from my grasp and fell into the water. I quickly retrieved it, but the paper had already become soaked, and the ink had started to spread and blur. Initially, I was disappointed, thinking the drawing was ruined. However, as I looked closer, I noticed something remarkable, the flow of the ink had created an entirely new composition, abstract yet evocative, capturing the delicate nature of the Taj Mahal in a way I hadn’t anticipated.
This unintentional transformation became one of my favorite pieces from the trip, a testament to the unpredictable beauty that can arise from accidents in art.
The Black Taj Mahal, though never completed, remains a fascinating part of the Taj Mahal’s history. Shah Jahan’s dream of creating a matching black marble mausoleum for himself across the Yamuna never came to fruition.
