Mention
Japanese or Chinese art and immediately a few images conjure up in the
mind...of samurai, quaint old bridges, softly rounded hills and more.
Mention Indian art and the mind is deluged with a variety of images, none
of which can be considered singularly representative of Indian art. Yet,
the work of artist Jayasri Burman, exhibited at Delhi's Shridharani
Gallery recently, definitely reflects a quality of 'Indianness'.
Choosing everyday reality as her primal force, Burman - now 44 - creates
visual narratives of genuine Indian content. Aptly termed 'Anubhuti', her
recent works portray creative realism using sensual feminine figures and
familiar feminine accoutrements. There are flowers in the hair, a becoming
nose stud in place, kohl rimmed eyes and the sari-draped in becoming
contours, designed in a conglomerate of wavy lines. The male figures
alongside some of these portrayals uplift the mundanity of human
partnership into a palpable tenderness, linked to anecdotage.
Pointing to one such piece Burman explains, "She had left behind her
rickshaw- puller husband and a teenage son who was appearing for his board
exams, to work in a metro city to earn a little extra, and to tide over
the expenses of the boy's education. All through this forced separation
she pined for her husband and when she related this to me, I pulled out
pencil and paper and made a sketch of her straightaway."
Besides such chance encounters, Burman's art springs from her upbringing.
Born into an aesthetically oriented family of Kolkata, she was exposed to
art very early in life. Her uncle, the reputed artist Shakti Burman (based
in Paris) exerted a strong influence over her developmental years. Having
studied at Kala Bhavan in Shantiniketan, and the Visual College of Art,
Kolkata, Jayasri went on to receive guidance in print-making under
Monsieur Ceizerzi in Paris, a fallout of the avuncular interest. Her
technique therefore, became an amalgamation of fine linearity combined
with an undercurrent of free expression.
When she began showing her work at galleries, a notable beginning was in
Kolkata when an exhibition of five women artists of Bengal was held to
commemorate the tercentenary of the city (1990). Then, in 1992, Burman's
exhibition 'The Baijis' at the Chitrakoot Gallery (Kolkata) earned rave
reviews, and the Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Mumbai, followed it up
with another success titled 'Urban Signals Shifting Images'.
In the following years, Burman's work has been exhibited frequently in
India and abroad. Besides her exhibitions in London, Paris, Berlin and
Hong Kong, Jayasri initiated a unique exhibition of the Burman family
artists, titled 'The Family', along with Shakti Burman and cousin Maya
Burman. In 2005, this show of the family's work was held in Mumbai.
Boloji.com is owned and managed by
Boloji Media Inc Privacy Policy |
Disclaimer No part of this Internet site may
be reproduced without prior written permission of the copyright holder.
Mention
Japanese or Chinese art and immediately a few images conjure up in the
mind...of samurai, quaint old bridges, softly rounded hills and more.
Mention Indian art and the mind is deluged with a variety of images, none
of which can be considered singularly representative of Indian art. Yet,
the work of artist Jayasri Burman, exhibited at Delhi's Shridharani
Gallery recently, definitely reflects a quality of 'Indianness'. 