This painting was inspired by the busy atmosphere of Charminar Market in Hyderabad, India. This shopping hub is slap bang in the centre of the city next to the huge Charminar Arch. Here you can buy jewellery, fabric, shoes, perfumes, bags, wedding dresses, vintage coins, pulses, spices and all manner of food. The colours are vibrant, the sounds loud and the smells overpowering. The market has been around for hundreds of years and in its heyday had 14,000 shops. Indian political activist and poet Sarojini Naidu in her famous poem, ‘In the Bazaars of Hyderabad’, writes about the market’s bustling atmosphere: “What do you sell O ye merchants? Richly your wares are displayed, Turbans of crimson and silver, Tunics of purple brocade, What do you cry, O ye fruitmen? Citron, pomegranate, and plum. What do you play, O musicians? Sitar, sarangi and drum.’ In my painting the women dressed in bright saris sell oranges, tomatoes, beans, limes and bananas.
Acrylic on Canvas 40 x 30 x 1 cm
Original Painting £240
Prints £80
Set of 3 greeting cards £20
Ali Dunnell Artist 