Jayasri Burman: Feminine Fables

Uma Nair

Jayasri Burman finds the perfect balance between aesthetic sensitivity and surreal romanticism.Uma Nair reviews as she reads into these contemporary narrations of myths and history .

Jayasri Burman takes her first solo to Hong Kong with Gallery Sumukha. Think of the fantasy of Chagall, the poetry of Tagore, and the myths of the Indian idiom, Jayasri Burman’s ‘Fables and Folklore’ opens at Hong Kong , and between the emerald and topaz colored tones in the paintings it is the study of the choreography of mythic moods and lush Tropicana. Living much of her adult life in Shantiniketan while her peers were preoccupied with depicting everyday scenes from modern life— Jayasri was interested in domestic subjects such as the tender moments between mother and child, or views that translated tales of Tagore and great Bengali authors. Now synonymous with the artist, these touching scenes have taken their place within the Indianesque canon. A skilled and versatile printmaker, Jayasri was the winner of Lalit Kala Award years ago. As such, the appearance of any color in these paintings is a magnificent portrayal of a woman or many others caressed in the firmament of nature’s dulcet dualities. Lotuses become a part of the crown as well as tresses, the drape of brocade like sari becomes the sinuous heads of more than a mere swan or duck. Perhaps in epic, in proportion and perspective are the mermaid like figures and the mother earth symbolism. Here we see Jayasri’s skillful technique and lightness of touch combined with the pattern and flattened perspective associated with Japanese woodblock prints, a known source of inspiration to Jayasri.