sumana

Life began, like that of any mortal, with my birth. However, I started ‘living’ when I began to feel and register the various nuances associated with the two fundamental parts of human existence – joy and sorrow. This process was further augmented by the diverse associations with like-minded people which inevitably develop based on the most fundamental of human associations – the prime one being that of one’s family. Concurrently, there developed those emotions which evolve from the complexities and tensions linked with alternating periods of happiness and grief, hope and despair. These emotions can not be properly expressed by means of language – spoken or written. It is the irrepressible urge to express these very ‘untold words’ which acted as a catalyst to focus all my attention to painting. I felt that it is through this medium that I could express these complex and sensual emotions. To me the very act of interacting with the canvas is a form of meditation. Further, with the hope to rid (or at least alert) society of its present state of disjoint – mostly due to the disharmony that has plagued us in recent times due mostly to atrocities in all walks of life – that I turned all my energy to my art. To ensure that I achieve this daunting task, I decided to give predominance to the pure (and primary) colours – Red, Blue, and Yellow – in all my paintings. The harmonious co-existence of these colours to enhance the aesthetic appeal of my works has been my sincere effort.

Like these differing colours, society itself is comprised of people from different backgrounds of caste, creed, race, and gender. One can go so far as to say that just as a disproportionate mixture of the primary colours create a dull and drab impression on the canvas, the lack of harmony in our society stems from our inability to co-exist harmoniously. And just as the disproportionate mixture of colours gives the impression of something sinister lurking behind the obvious, the disharmony in society suggests exactly the same. Today’s society has become soulless. In such a scenario, the flowers in my work may appear to be utopian, but Nature (in spite of the modern age apathetic and mechanical life-style) always reminds us that no matter what we do, we can never ever suppress her. Nature can do this by simply drawing our attention to the exquisite ‘Shimul’ flower during spring or by expressing her anger through natural disasters like the Tsunami.

Being a die-hard optimist and a believer in positivism I am relentlessly fighting to establish a distinct identity through my paint-brush and canvas. However, my struggle is aimed at enhancing the quality of my work, not – at least primarily – to ensure bread and butter. It is the struggle to rise above the material and bring out the real ‘I’ that wants to establish itself in accordance with Bharat’s culture and heritage. It is this frame of mind which inspires me to express my self through golden and silver colours on the canvas when even the tiniest ray of sunlight or moonlight touches me in spite of the concrete jungle in which we live. Thus it is through an intermingling of various forms, textures, tones, and colours – both familiar as well as unfamiliar – that I create my works. It is my dream world which in turn serves as a platform for my struggle in today’s world – for my very existence as well as for carving out a niche – a personal space - for my self which transcends the restrictions imposed by society.

SUMANA BISWAS