The portrait of Professor Mandyam Srinivasan by Sam Leach was completed in 2014. He uses oil and resin on plywood. The work stands 61 cm tall by 46 cm wide.

The work is a collage of elements that can be found within Srinivasan’s laboratory. Srinivasan is standing to the right of the frame, his body turned towards the centre, his eyes averted. He stands against a brown-grey background which darkens from top to bottom. At the top left, 14 burnt orange polka dots run down the background, a tiny bee, meticulously drawn, sits amongst them.

Srinivasan’s attention is drawn to his work. His head, sporting a full salt and pepper beard, is turned away. His eyes are squinted, his features arranged in an expression of enjoyment. He wears a loose grey short-sleeve buttoned shirt that is open at the neck and pools at his elbows.

His hands are adjusting the back of a curved mirror that sits atop a grey metal table. His left hand, with black-banded watch, grips the inside corner by its lip. His right hand dangles above it. From the left side, a bangled hand reaches out to help him, fingers tucked under to grab the bottom of the mirror.

In the foreground there sits a waist-high table, its surface covered with black and white radiating spokes. On top of the table, shiny grey-metal geometric objects have been arranged.

Audio description written by Carolyn Eccles and voiced by Krysia Kitch