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Lot 33

 

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Frequently referred to as an 'alchemist of dreams', Sakti Burman's complex, otherworldly images are condensed through both experience and fantasy. "Sakti fashioned his images out of the resources of myths, legends, art and literature as metaphorical or symbolic correlatives to his experiences, that seldom had anything to do with the world abroad. Figurative visuals fleshing out the artist's subjective experience generally take on features of... Frequently referred to as an 'alchemist of dreams', Sakti Burman's complex, otherworldly images are condensed through both experience and fantasy. "Sakti fashioned his images out of the resources of myths, legends, art and literature as metaphorical or symbolic correlatives to his experiences, that seldom had anything to do with the world abroad. Figurative visuals fleshing out the artist's subjective experience generally take on features of dream imagery, by virtue of their being removed from visible reality of daily perception" (Manasij Majumder, Sakti Burman: Dreamer on the Ark, Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai, 2001, p. 14).

In Burman's iridescent images reality, fantasy and memory play an equal role. On the artist's vivid canvases, one finds mythical creatures and medieval jesters portrayed alongside members of his own family, all bringing alive an enchanting world where the real and the imagined coexist. In this lost paradise, where all creatures dwell in harmony, comely maidens walk alongside children astride elephants and fruit laden trees and exotic flowers shelter birds and beasts of all varieties. Each work is captivating, luminescent and delicate. As Burman explains, "My work attempts to recreate, reflect and represent an enchanted world where the memory of the real, fantasy and legend have a direct relation to the present moment as well as tradition" (Ibid.).

Burman's unique marbling effect is the result of an elaborate and meticulous process. As Ella Dutta explains, "The effect of stippling, spotting, cracking and marbling is not achieved by accident but is the result of meticulous, painstaking handling of paint. The blank canvas is first treated with a transparent wash in some pastel colour. On this, Burman does a detailed pencil drawing of the composition with fine, rhythmic lines…He then begins to apply the paint in small areas of the canvas. First, he applies a liquidified, clear, acrylic emulsion on the canvas. And then he adds drops of oil paint mixed with the emulsion on the canvas. He uses a fine brush for this delicate application of paint. The special effect he achieves is the result of the distortion and spread of the drop on one kind of paint as it tends to separate from the emulsion" ("A Poetic Vision", Sakti Burman: Uncertain Legends, Apparao Galleries exhibition catalogue, 1999. p. 8).

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