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Lot 105

 

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Sakti Burman’s paintings and drawings create a space for viewers in which past experiences, present reality and eternal fantasies intermingle effortlessly. Frequently referred to as an ‘alchemist of dreams’, the artist’s fresco-like “…paintings are often inspired by poetry – Tagore and Baudelaire for example…Much of the form and content of his works is rooted in the Western tradition fusing the spirit of Mediterranean classicism with that of... Sakti Burman’s paintings and drawings create a space for viewers in which past experiences, present reality and eternal fantasies intermingle effortlessly. Frequently referred to as an ‘alchemist of dreams’, the artist’s fresco-like “…paintings are often inspired by poetry – Tagore and Baudelaire for example…Much of the form and content of his works is rooted in the Western tradition fusing the spirit of Mediterranean classicism with that of medieval romance…Nevertheless, no one would miss in them a rhythmic evocativeness reminiscent of Ajanta and Ellora, an overall Oriental feel and flavour in the pictures’ miniature-like ornamental borders” (Manasji Majumder, Sakti Burman: Dreamer on the Ark, Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai, 2001, p. 130).

“Sakti’s painting mode is diametrically opposite to that of those whose gestural brushstrokes are laid impulsively on the canvas in complete defiance of the control on the conscious mind. Each of Sakti’s canvases looks as finished as a meticulous filigree work. He creates a chequered chromatic surface of visual splendour by means of a dense network of varied tones and textures charged in every detail with strong but disciplined aesthetic stimulation…[Yet,] there is something fragile about it, like infinitely delicate precious porcelain. There is a startled or blank, fixed gaze in the eyes of all male and female characters. An air of sadness clings to the beauty of their passionless faces…Magic blends with melancholy in this world of joyous ambience. This seems to tell the saddest truth about the beauty of art that lacks the life and warmth of ephemeral flesh-and-blood reality. But this core of life-and-art dialectics enshrined in every frame sets off and enriches the splendour of Sakti's art” (Ibid., p. 10, 132).

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