Important Notice

Lot 61

Born in Calcutta, Sakti Burman grew up at his grandparents` farmhouse in the village of Bidyakut, now in Bangladesh. The artist left India for France at the age of twenty three and has lived there since, but strongly believes that, even today, the memories of his early years in India shape his paintings to a great extent. "My childhood memories are always there, mixed up with the realities of the day. In creative art, the role of memory is a... Born in Calcutta, Sakti Burman grew up at his grandparents` farmhouse in the village of Bidyakut, now in Bangladesh. The artist left India for France at the age of twenty three and has lived there since, but strongly believes that, even today, the memories of his early years in India shape his paintings to a great extent. "My childhood memories are always there, mixed up with the realities of the day. In creative art, the role of memory is a recognized fact. But in my case, that of a painter working in a foreign city a vast distance away from his native milieu, memory is doubly potent in sustaining creative life" (as quoted in Manasij Majumder, Sakti Burman: Dreamer on the Ark, Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai, 2001, p. 49).

In this magnificent canvas, the artist recalls the Bengali myths and stories about Gods and Goddesses that he heard as a child, as well as the elaborate religious ceremonies of the village he lived in. In the present lot, Durga, the multi-armed mother deity worshipped with great fanfare in Bengal, presides over a serene garden. Holding flowers, seashells and birds in her many hands, she is a harbinger of peace, facilitating the interaction and coexistence of humans with the many extraordinary creatures in the garden. In addition to the owls and peacocks, Burman has also included other Hindu deities he remembers from his childhood in the village in the frame – Shiva, the blue god, sits astride his bull Nandi in the background, and a dancing Ganesha, his son, the elephant-headed God, observes with interest the games of a young faun at Durga`s feet.

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