Suddha R Sama believes that colours have the power to heal. She speaks to D Mago about her paintings on salvation
Man is in peace when he is in complete knowledge of himself. For Suddha Sama, art is not just a part of life but a state of mind. She has painted the left side of a human face with untangled hair strands and juxtaposed it with the images of two human figures in green and blue colours holding a garland made up of colorful lotus buds. Suddha’s works have a deep spiritual connection and it isn’t easy to interpret her lifelong spiritual journey with just one brief look at those works. The face is representative of every human. The two figures are male and female energies trying to find a balance in human embodiment. Once they are in harmony with each other, the soul will be liberated and will reach salvation. Explains the artist, “These two figures can also be taken as sky and earth, these energies which always appear to meet each other but are actually not meeting. Sky and earth can be seen a soulmates, with a strong desire to unite with each other.” This artwork is part of Suddha’s solo exhibition of paintings and drawings titled A Blissful Journey at India Habitat Center. Some knowledge of meditation is required to comprehend the significance of her works.
In another painting titled Enlightenment, she has drawn a meditating human face that is juxtaposed by a picture of a woman meditating in lotus posture. The figure has seven chakras with a big lotus flower on the top trying to convey a connection between the soul and the higher energies of the universe. “It is in mediation that we are watching over ourselves. The meditative figure in a human face establishes that the person is reaching a phase of self-awareness, where we are connecting with the higher energies. In many of my paintings I have shown open and untangled hair, which represent that the soul is now free from all entanglements often due to poor karmas,” says Suddha.
The artist belongs to Mathura and the influences of the place can be seen in her works. In an artwork titled Saanvara Salona the artist has painted the portrait of lord Krishna with a flute in one hand. “I hadn’t actually planned to paint Krishna but the painting took the God’s shape on its own. I have used my own self-portrait as a reference for this painting. I work as per my wishes and an artwork only takes shape when the inspiration strikes. If the flow is somehow broken, the art remains incomplete and then I am able to complete it only when I am inspired the next time.”
The artist has been painting since her childhood. She says, “As a child, I used to spend time watching the Pichwai artists paint on a huge cloth, which were then used as a background in Ramlila or other celebrations. Pichwai is quite popular in Brij. I was impressed by how those artists painted on huge screens. I even remember the name of one of the artists I liked, his name was Dal Chand.”
Suddha believes that colours have their own healing power and have the ability to cure humans of any imbalance or impurity. Many of her works are made using the Bengal School’s wash technique, which was originally developed by Okakura Kakuzo.