Executed in 2020-21, The coal seller is an outstanding example of Raghav Babbar’s contemporary investigation into the genre of portraiture. A young artist of Indian heritage, Babbar grew up in Singapore but studied at the Royal College of Art in London. His work amalgamates influences from his heritage with many artistic techniques and mannerisms of mid twentieth-century British painting. Babbar’s portraiture is distinctive for his use of oil paints, applied thickly, delighting in the rich surface textures that the media offers. Largely depicting his friends and family, his portraits engage with his sitters closely, imbued with a sense of privacy and intimacy, and sincerity. The artist himself asserts, “Capturing [my sitters] in these moments and relaying it to the canvas later establishes a connection between the individual and myself. I feel figures are an area where it is easy for me to express myself. Strokes I make change the narrative of the moment.” Babbar received critical acclaim following his inclusion in a 2019 group exhibition at The Institute of Contemporary Art, Singapore, and a solo show at Waterhouse & Dodd in 2021.