The Brunners on Buddha
(Left-Right): One of Elizabeth Brunnner-- “Sitting Buddha Image”.Elizabeth Saas Brunner (Right) and Elizabeth Brunner.
Hungarian artists Elizabeth Saas Brunner and Elizabeth Brunner. An intensely spiritual mother and daughter duo bound by a common love of India. The late artists' Buddhist series of paintings were on display in New Delhi recently. The exhibition, titled “ Be Ye Light Unto Yourselves” features 22 painting, the majority by the younger Brunner. The display has been held to mark the birth centenary of Elizabeth.
Saas' mystical works date back to 1934 and are painted in Bangalore, a city in the South Indian state of Karnataka. Elizabeth Brunner's paintings cover the period 1956-1972. They are set in Kushinagar, Sarnath, Bodhgaya (India), Burma, Sri Lanka and Thailand, places associated with the Buddha.
While Saas largely depicts Buddha seated in meditation, Elizabeth 's varying images of the great personage are derived from the places she has visited. One can contemplate a sitting Buddha (from Kushinagar), the emerald Buddha (Bangkok),reclining Buddha (Bangkok) monks praying in front of Buddha at a Marble Temple (Bangkok), as well as associated paintings such as a stupa in Sarnath,
The works of both mother and daughter are in subdued colours, except for one by Elizabeth titled “Buddha with Sapphire Eyes”, painted in Colombo (Sri Lanka).
Elizabeth has also done a portrait of His Holiness The Dalai Lama, whom she greatly admired, of his tutors and other Tibetan personages.
Eminent Hungarian scholar Professor Geza Bethlenfalvy, who inaugurated the exhibition, told this correspondent “ While Saas was primarily a painter of landscapes and spiritual themes. Elizabeth was largely a portrait painter. The mother had what I would call transcendental experiences such as visions of a crucifix, Buddha and Shiva and these found reflection in her art.
“Elizabeth was influenced by her mother as also the permeation of Buddhist thought to Hungary at the beginning of the 20th century.”
Professor Geza gave a brief description of Saas' paintings on display: “You can see a meditating Buddha seated on a globe in some of the paintings. Around him is an aura, or light that emanates from his body and soul.”
Elizabeth willed these painting to the Dalai Lama and they are now in the collection of Tibet House, New Delhi, the cultural centre of the Tibetan leader. “Though I wouldn't call the mother and daughter Buddhists, they were greatly inspired by Buddha's philosophy and teachings,” says Lama Doboom Tulku, director, Tibet House.
Saas and Elizabeth arrived in India in 1930 via Italy, Egypt and Libya. Inspired by Tagore, they lived in Shantinketan for two years and decided to make India their home. Elizabeth has done a number of sketches of the bard. Apparently Tagore was greatly impressed by her talent.
And so were visitors to the exhibition.
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