Important Notice

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).

The present lot, titled ‘Reverie’ or daydream, represents Burman’s exploration of dreams and fantasy through a combination of surrealist images that are figments of his artistic imagination. While all the individual figures in the composition bear a strong semblance to reality, barring the mythical beast, it is their combination and juxtaposition that evokes a dream-like feeling. The two women in the foreground appear deep in slumber, oblivious to the animal next to them, while the couple on the bed also appears sound asleep. Is the suited man, stepping out of the frame on the right, then a voyeur or a character from one of the prone figure’s dreams?

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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