Alchemist of dreams Sakti Burman speaks about the reality intruding on his canvases and how he can no longer afford his own artFive decades ago, when India was a blip on the world art map, Sakti Burman left Kolkata for Paris, to study art. He stayed on, striking roots in an unaccustomed earth and producing art in which East met West in a burst of colour and imagery. In Paris, he married French artist Maite Delteil. His daughter Maya too is an artist—as are his niece Jayasri Burman and her husband Paresh Maity. Though India has never been far from his canvases, the 73-year-old artist comes here oftener now, after having set up a home in Delhi. The proximity has also led to more regular exhibitions and an opportunity for connoisseurs to catch a glimpse of the fantasy world he creates. In his current exhibition, Enraptured Gaze, (on at Art Alive Gallery, Delhi), however, the realistic undertones seem more prominent. In an interview at his Delhi home, he discusses his inspiration, the world of art and his own family of artists.Did you ever consider moving back to India?When I first went to Paris, I intended to stay there for three to five years. I returned to India in 1961, but was back in Paris within a year. The scene in India wasn’t like it is now. There weren’t as many galleries. I managed to sell just one canvas at my exhibition in Delhi in 1962 at the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society. Settling in France wasn’t easy either, but I managed to build contacts there while I was still a student. Galleries had started exhibiting my work and I had begun to interest buyers. There was also a personal connection because Maite was there.The art world in India is different now. Does that excite you enough to shift base to the country? You even built a second home in Delhi in 2006.The house is meant to make it easier for me to stay in India during my annual trip. It also makes sure that I stay here longer. I never really left India. The country became part of my art and I visit it almost every year. Do you follow the auction circuit? Last year, at Bonhams, your canvas sold for 55,200 pounds. Earlier this year, another work Apres Le Spectacle sold for 65,000 pounds at Sotheby’s.Friends keep me up-to-date with auctions. There is nostalgia when I see old canvases and sometimes I even buy them at auctions. For instance, recently I bought a work titled Attrirance d’ Eros at a France auction. It is difficult for me to buy my own work due to the price that they command now, but I give in if I feel I should have a canvas from a particular series. I’m hardworking but slow, so I hardly have any of my own work. The only canvas that I kept was from one depicting Noah’s Ark. I made a handful of them because of their commercial success. However, I never really followed one particular theme. The pictures kept changing from humans to birds, animals and even the Taj Mahal. Some years back, in an interview, you said you seriously studied art for the first time when in Paris. Is it France that made you realise that art was your calling?I never really decided that I want to become an artist. I still haven’t. I just know that I want to paint. People tell me that I’m an artist and that’s why I think I am one.The violence that has become part of our living also seems to have entered your canvases with this exhibition.I absolutely detest war and hate anything associated with it but as an artist it was natural for me to comment on it through my work. The influence comes from the surrounding. There is so much hatred in the world that I can’t avoid acknowledging it. The effort is not deliberate. Like innumerable times before, we see you on some of the canvases. There are also protagonists inspired by your wife, daughter and grandson too.Yes, they are all there. They are participants in my canvases who have been transformed from my sketchbook to the canvas. Whenever I’m unsure on how to proceed with an artwork, I open the sketchbook and pick one of the characters drawn on a sheet. So, the models are there because I happened to sketch one of them. My family has been painted by me several times now. I used to ask Maya to pose for me sometimes, but it was difficult to get her to do that. How inspired were you by Western masters in your early years?The influences were a natural outcome of seeing their work and reading about them. With Chagall, I shared the dreamlike quality of work. There are always some things that are hidden and unreal. The description of me as an ‘Alchemist of Dreams’ also comes from there. At first, I wasn’t sure how to react to being termed as an alchemist but now I’ve concluded it sounds nice. Gradually, India too began to find place in this dream world that began to feature images of Krishna and Durga. Many attribute this to your trip to India in the mid-1960s when you travelled to Ajanta, Ellora, Amravati and Konark with Maite.We had just got married and were visiting India on a year-long vacation. I had seen some of these places before, but staying in France made me see them in a different light. I began to appreciate the beauty of Indian art and tradition. The fondness began to show on my canvases without any effort. Dream of Maya was one of the first major canvases born from the sojourn. Your daughter is now an accomplished artist herself. I believe you always had empty canvases in your studio so that your children could splash colour on them.They liked playing with paints and I simply let them be creative. There used to be colour all over the room. Maya opted to become an artist and my son is a scientist in a family of artists. I don’t want the trend to stop. Now I keep empty canvases to let my grandchildren play around and they seem to enjoy it. Has there been a conscious effort to pursue distinct styles in your family?Each of us managed to develop our own style. That is very important. I don’t think Maya could have chosen to paint in the technique that I pursue. It is so unique that comparisons will be obvious. I remember once when MF Husain was exhibiting his watercolours in Paris, he said that I had inspired him. I could not perceive how, but was happy nevertheless. I even told him that I’ll narrate the incident to others.
