Sakti Burman (b. 1935)

Acquired directly from the artist in Paris

 

Sakti Burman was born in Kolkata and attended the Government Art College there. After graduating, he moved to Paris on a scholarship awarded to him by the French Government and he continues to live in France to this very day.

This charming painting is from a very early period in Burman's career when he was still painting in a realist style. One can see the influence of Western art movements in this work. In particular, the 1960s in Paris were consumed by the Nouveau Réalisme movement and the preoccupation with bringing art and life closer together. These artists viewed the world as a pictorial image from which they could choose certain aspects and incorporate them into their art. This painting is a perfect example of that. Burman has given us an intimate glimpse of what one imagines to be the interior of his apartment. A medley of instruments, cards, a checkerboard and flower vases sit in the forefront while the Parisian cityscape recedes into the background. A few bright splashes of colour pop out amongst the grey and almost monochromatic skyline. Using a jumbled perspective, the objects and buildings in the painting appear to be humorously squashed into the frame which adds to its appeal.

In later years, Burman developed and perfected an incredibly distinctive style of painting, full of fantastical creatures, set in stunning make-believe worlds and created with candy-like colours. It is refreshing to see this early and atypical example of his work.