JAYASRI BURMAN
Born 1960 in Kolkata, India.
Lives and works in Kolkata, India.
Jayasri Burman’s oeuvre weaves the iconography and stylized depictions of nature from Indian folk art, notably Kalighat and Patachitra paintings, with a whimsical personal visual vocabulary to build a vivid narrative centered around women. Her subjects are sanguine, even in their strife, and are often offset by a verdant landscape. The artist summarizes her practices as "a reflection of life, godliness and goodness, and a celebration of emotions through stories and colors." Burman’s tranquil aesthetic, lyrical imagery, and vibrant colors offer an insight into the mind of an artist as well as a gifted storyteller.
Born 1960, Calcutta, India
Burman studied at the Kala Bhavan in Shanti Niketan where she recieved her B.A. in Fine Art, and at the Government College of Art and Craft in Calcutta, where she completed her M.A. in painting. Following this, in 1984 she moved to Paris where she studied print-making under Monsieur Ceizerzi.
Burman comes from an extended family of eminent artists. Along with her husband, Paresh Maity; her uncle Sakti Burman lives and works in France, though he is regarded as an Indian artist. Along with this is her cousin, Maya Burman. Burman, in 2005, helped create an exhibition entitled "The Family" featuring works by all these artists.
The imagery in her work has a dream-like and lyrical quality with a unique sensitivity which, although inspired by the Indian folk element, retains a quality of refreshing candor and reflective honesty. She manages very successfully to weave the decorative and design element of the folk idiom into the intricate patterns of her canvas, without losing the natural charm and naiveté of her work, which is uniquely her own.
The artist lives and works in Delhi, India
Jayasri Burman, Draupadi and the Game of Dice, 2017, Mixed media on paper, 60 x 84 in
Jayasri Burman, Ascent to Heaven, 2017, Mixed media on paper, 60 x 84 in
Jayasri Burman, Born of Fire, 2017, Mixed media on paper, 84 x 60 in
Jayasri Burman, Draupadi and Sahdev, 2017, Watercolour, pen and ink on paper, 48 x 60 in
Jayasri Burman, Draupadi and Arjun, 2017, Watercolour, pen and ink on paper, 48 x 60 in
Jayasri Burman, Ratna Kuntala, 2017, Mixed media on paper, 72 x 48 in
Everything in the three-story house was done up after careful consideration of each others’ wishes. The result: special places reserved for the couple's own art, separate work areas, and more.
For millennia now, the Ganges has been revered and disregarded in equal measure, much like women themselves [...] This and more have been a source of insatiable inspiration and curiosity for artist Jayasri Burman since her childhood, which has now culminated into a show of enormous scale called River of Faith.
