Sakti Burman (b. 1935)

Acquired by the current owner from Mark King Gallery, New York, 1973

in good condition, minor undulations to surface of canvas along top edge, as viewed
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Sakti Burman's paintings weave myriad motifs culled from imagination and reality into a filigree of dreamscapes. With their soothing colors and rich textures these works combine the formal and stylistic values of Renaissance and Baroque art with native Indian myths and folklore. From the 1970's onwards Sakti's works display a greater formal clarity as seen in the present painting which depicts puppeteers manipulating their marionettes with strings. The arrangement of the images in quadrants skirted by bright borders is reminiscent of the traditional folk paintings of Bengal. The checkered color ground serves as an ideal foil for the iridescent, golden hued figures.

'The figurative contents here seldom have any semantic meaning like the contents of abstract imagery. But the forms, fluent and fragmentary have a metonymic and metaphorical function, like the language of dream, to signify how the artist glimpses formless beauty in his illuminated unconscious.' (Manasij Majumder, Sakti Burman: Dreamer on the Ark, Pundole Art Gallery, 2001, p. 129).