"Jayasri Burman’s greatest strength is undoubtedly her spirit of unaffectedness,” says art curator and collector Ina Puri. Burman’s vivid depiction of mythology is apparent in her ongoing exhibition—Shakti: Nine forms of Divinity—at Gallery Art Exposure. The colour scheme, says the artist, is a culmination of emotions. “In this particular case—Naba Durga—the colours are vibrant because it invokes the spirit of power, that of the sun.
We come from a culture where colours are weaved into our very essence. It is this vibrancy that reflects in my paintings,” she says. The palette, of course, changes in accordance with the depiction. For instance, the raging Kali is painted in deep indigo, while softer, radiant mustard is used for Durga. Puri recalls how Burman accepted an invitation to create an actual Durga ‘protima’ (idol) in Kolkata a few years ago. She spent days at the famous Kumhortulli learning to sculpt.
The Burmanesque touch came through in giving the Devi winged limbs. The ‘kumhors’ (clay-modellers) were understandably aghast. Burman explains, “A story on my canvas takes off from a myth but is eventually completed with my own imagination. This creative liberty has several motifs of freedom, forming my own myth with a never-ending saga.” Known for her contemporary approach, the present series at the exhibition borders on the traditional, or as Burman puts it: “a contemporary way of expression”.
She paints in imaginative detail the different manifestations of the Devi as she appears in the ancient texts, each form different from the other in temperament, appearance and spirit. At the same time, her oeuvre feels like a tapestry borrowing from the folk art of India. The artist says, “I think folk art is the most abstract and primal, and hence intrinsically beautiful. Such art is powerful because it comes from the deepest corner of the heart. It is pure. This purity has always attracted me.” Just like Paul Klee and Paul Gauguin, who have also painted marvellous pieces inspired by the primal, the spontaneity of emotion invigorates Burman. “It is not easy to retain this childlike pure quality.
It takes a certain kind of sadhana, I believe, to retain that craft. My paintings feel like a folk tapestry, because there are multiple stories going on, around the many figures in one painting, with 3various kinds of clothing and expressions. Perhaps the magnitude makes it so.” Somak Mitra, director, Gallery Art Exposure says that the paintings at the exhibition reflect the soul of the artist in all its passion and strength. “Burman’s dream-like lyrical works inspired by Indian mythology and folk art are a tribute to her rich childhood.
Her art weaves the design element of folk into the intricate patterns of mythical figures and forms set in utopian natural surroundings,” he says. Her uncle Sakti Burman, besides Ganesh Pyne and Bikash Bhattacharya (who were known to her family), have had an occasional influence on Burman’s growth. But it is her unique vision juxtaposing ancient tradition with the contemporary that makes her oeuvre stand out. “Her myths, legends and fables become in their retelling also a narration about the environment,” says Puri. This refashioning of mythologies presents a reinterpreted and reimagined canvas that is Burman’s indelible signature.