Puri and Ghosh were upbeat at the launch at the ITC Grand Central Parel. since the do was attended by eminent artists like Sakti Barman, Jehangir Sabavala, SH Raza, Sudhir Patwardhan and Radhakrishnan, all featured in the book.

“Faces of Indian Art is an insider's journey of how an artist works in his domain and creates the masterpieces,” says Puri, about the five-year project. This is the first-time that a book has spanned such a gamut of artists from Paris to Santiniketan and Vishakapatnam. “The process of a work goes beyond the canvas and into an artist's mind. You get a sense of how the images happen in the artist's studio,” says Puri.

“It was a huge treat for the creative person, like, to go into the private domains of the artists. To see their personal facets and watch the creations unveil,” adds Ghosh.

Jehangir Sabavala, who already has a published biography says, “We all are getting older by the day and it will spur aspiring art students to see the process of art unfold.” Sakti Burman adds, “The book will help art connoisseurs get more personal information about their favourite artists.”

Raza talked about the time when Indian art was not appreciated and how artists like Jamini Roy and Amrita Sher-Gill created a revolution of sorts to make it gain the acceptance it has today. “This book is a fitting ode to their and other artists' efforts.”

Sudhir Patwardhan went a step further and wagged a finger at the publishers, asking them to make sure the book got a wider distribution than most coffee table tomes.