Art Trinity

The works on display are among the most recent of the artists’ oeuvre. Raza continues to explore Indian concepts of spirituality through modern means. His abstract geometric forms find expression in such classic concepts as Shanti Aur Tanav — an exploration of the co-existence of peace and chaos. In turn,these forms find place in his two 2010 paintings,Bharat and Navbharat,perhaps an indication that his core concepts have their root in the country.

Burman’s work,from his most recent,is perhaps best described as a culmination of all the journeys that he’s made in his life,real and imagined. “I’m not trying to exactly recreate what I saw,but it’s my memory of those journeys.” There’s a dream-like quality in the gently tinted,marbled paintings such as the enigmatic Blossoming Jasmine Leading to a Dreamland,where a bikini-clad young girl,finds space alongside a many-headed goddess on a sheep. Burman’s constant companion,when he’s rendering these works are his memories and dreams. He adds,“I’m fascinated by mythology and fairytales; they represent our past as a species in some ways and the past is always with us. No matter how old you get,you can’t really leave your childhood behind. It’s our baggage.” This baggage finds its way in the tinges of melancholy that mark the paintings; as the artist says,it’s a secret yearning for the past.

Menon is an artist who is constantly evolving her style and the collection very aptly showcases this. She is well-known for her use of iconic imagery,inspired in part by Greco-Roman and Byzantine traditions. It finds her iconising the ordinary and the everyday; the “narratives of a simple world,” as she says. A dark,sensuous beauty dances in Item Girl,while a woman and a young boy,wander with their family of goats in Parsonale. However,according to her,the highlight of her collection in Resonance,is a painting titled Conjuror. “This is a significant departure from the iconic,rooted figuration of my past work. Here the stillness has given way to floating,flying figures as in Free Fall I and Free Fall II.”

Wandering around the gallery,one looks in vain for an obvious common thread in all three artists’ works. Raza,Burman and Menon have all spent time in Europe and all three have certainly been influenced by European art. But their styles are vastly different,and their themes are also divergent. The only way to look at this exhibition,as Menon points out,is to see it as “a celebration for those of us who still paint and for whom painterliness is of prime importance.” It’s perhaps best to merely soak in the elegance of their works and appreciate that,even after decades in the field,they continue to have the same vibrancy.