India, May 1 -- Now is a good time to talk about Salman Toor. The Pakistan-born, US-based artist is the darling of the NYC art scene and is set to have a major solo show in London this year. He also, in 2007, painted a portrait of NYC's mayor, Zohran Mamdani, another NYC darling of the moment.

Toor's 2019 painting, Bar Boy, is a sumptuous place to start. It's large - a 48-inch-by-60-inch oil on wood. And it seems to capture a joyous celebration with several figures mingling at a social gathering. Some are chatting, some are drinking, others are surreptitiously coiled in intimate embrace, a few seem exhausted from heavy partying. A solitary figure stands amidst this scene, lost in the bright light of his smartphone.

As always, look close...