Art & Culture: "Myths, Memories, And Life"

In one of Shrimanti Saha’s large oil paintings, water juts out of rocks; colourful, peculiar plants and corals stem out of land; and men and women have been shown occupied with chores like collecting shells and timber, and harvesting crops. Interestingly, Saha notes that painting is a depiction of underwater life. This painting, titled ‘Among Things That Grow and Return’, also lends its name to the artist’s ongoing exhibition at Delhi’s Vadehra Art Gallery. The exhibition will be on view till November 1.

The title itself refers to cycles and continuities. Hence, Saha’s paintings are mostly based on everyday life and common routine.

“The worlds I create in my art are often somewhat fictional,” Saha says. “There’s always an aspect of storytelling and narrative, with events being presented in ways that aren’t strictly descriptive but often uncertain, even esoteric.”

The exhibition contains 5 large-scale pieces up to 7.5 ft in length, and 11 compositions in smaller sizes.

Born in 1987 in West Bengal, Saha studied painting at the Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda, where she learnt animation, filmmaking, and other forms of storytelling. After working as an illustrator for freelance projects, Saha switched to making paintings and art full-time.

Her first solo exhibition, ‘Reveries in the Atelier' was held at Vadehra Art Gallery, in 2023. The dystopian lands created by the artist are a combination of expressive dreams, literary narratives and visceral characters. Saha’s works revolve around myth and reality through a variety of contexts and inspirations, from film, literature, Indian miniatures, mythology and architecture to news reports, science fiction, comic books and encyclopaedia illustrations. Meanwhile, references from Indo-Persian miniature paintings and European frescoes are also noticeable.

The subdued palette of earthy browns, greys, and deep greens infuses the paintings with a calm, mystical look.

In one of the paintings, ‘Ruptures, When They Happen’, Saha paints a rocky terrain; plants creeping out of rocky cracks. In the middle of the canvas surface, a pedestal-like structure has been depicted blowing fire and smoke.

The artist uses soft brush strokes to paint with oil, on linen. The clouds — against a textured sky — appear cottony.

Usually, while making a painting, Saha starts with drawing an element (such as a plant). And the process is repeated until the sketch is complete. “The drawing phase is the most crucial part,” she tells TMS. “Most of the thinking happens while sketching a piece. Once the drawing is done, painting with colours becomes more technical.”

On the other hand, her smaller paintings give direct glimpses into daily life. ‘Old Friends’ shows three women sitting by the sea, inspired by Mumbai’s Marine Drive. In ‘Mother Reading’, a woman holds a stretcher for a canvas in a studio filled with doves and flora.

Personal experiences, memory, conversations — according to the artist — they all get absorbed into the world she’s building.