Page 106 - Iconic Masters October2023

Lot No. 89
SAKTI BURMAN
b. 1935

UNTITLED
32.5 x 46 in (82.5 x 116.8 cm)
Oil on canvas
1960
Signed & Dated: Bottom Left

` 30,00,000 - 40,00,000 | $ 35,294 - 47,059
Provenance: Property from a private collection based
in Chennai. Artwork was acquired by the present
owner directly from the artist.

An acclaimed contemporary Indian artist, Sakti Burman
has delved into various aspects of the artistic world,
earning repute as a sculptor and lithographer as well.
Born in 1935 in Kolkata, he was inspired by the painted
backdrops of theatre productions he witnessed as a
child, reinforced by his exposure to landscape works.
Despite his father’s resistance, Burman decided to follow
his love for art and joined the Government School of
Art in 1951 to pursue Fine Arts. Among the many artists
that served as inspiration for him, European artists such
as Van Gogh made the biggest impact. He then joined
Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris in
1956, further honing his craft.

His oeuvre is replete with surreal works with intense
colours. Utilising pointillism and a marbling effect
he creates through blending acrylics and oil paints.
Although his works are mostly executed on canvas and
paper, the works have a fresco-like appearance. This
is a result of his travel to Italy in 1958 where he came
across awe-inspiring frescoes of Piero della Francesca,
Giotto and Simone Martini whose textures and scale
informed his later works. He arrived at this career-
defining technique through years of experimentation.