Every woman’s brushstrokes

A beautiful blue and pink-hued sky surrounded by lush greenery. Within this is a tree with specks of orange and yellow, besides which is a bed where a woman is sleeping her flowing tresses falling into the foliage. Sounds dreamy? Well, it’s far from it. Look towards the right corner of the painting and you see a snake with its hood raised looking at the woman. Called Lullaby Land, the metaphorical use of the snake raises a question: is this silent observer there to protect her or does it pose a threat to her freedom and joyful moment?

These are exactly the kind of questions that Hyderabad-based artist Debosmita Samanta, 37, sought to address in her new show at Method Kala Ghoda that exhibits paintings from the series Bariwali, a title that translates to ‘Lady, Who Owns the Land’. The 15 artworks in the show use oil as a medium. “I find the oil medium to be highly expressive, and its slow drying process allows me ample time to develop my ideas and the underlying stories behind each work,” she says.

Samanta grew up with her family sharing a house with three other families. She spent her childhood surrounded by women and children of various age groups. The household was filled with the sounds of these women—some chanting prayers, some singing while cooking, others rushing after their children, and occasionally, the ruckus of cat fights. The concept of ‘privacy’ was virtually non-existent.

“This series was inspired by my experience growing up in a middle-class family. Through close observation of daily life, I focused on the routines of women who adhere to various rituals and practices while dedicating themselves to household chores,” she explains. Samanta began developing the concept of Bariwali in 2019. “Initially, I worked with gouache but found myself unsatisfied with the results. I then started creating small landscapes using oil paint, which transformed my work and made it more expressive,” she says.

All the works in the show have an extensive use of bright colours that celebrate womanhood. “My artwork predominantly features women, enveloped in vibrant hues. However, they are never just ‘object of vision’; one cannot simply judge them by their beauty or body language. These women may be living their everyday lives, but the colourful surroundings add a sense of drama, almost like a diorama,” says Samanta. Additionally, the colour red plays a significant role in her paintings, often taking the form of lines that represent her connection to her ancestors, roots, and culture, as well as vermilion. Each of her works has its own story. And she spends her time stitching these stories into an artistic narrative.