Rithika Merchant b. 1986
Saudade, 2020
Gouache, watercolour and ink on paper
HSN Code: 9701
HSN Code: 9701
19.6 x 25.5 inches
Copyright Rithika Merchant, 2020
Lost cities, rising tides - a longing for a home which may be lost. Continents divided by expanses of water. Natural borders. A Portuguese word for a deep emotional state...
Lost cities, rising tides - a longing for a home which may be lost. Continents divided by expanses of water. Natural borders.
A Portuguese word for a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that one cares for and/or loves while simultaneously having positive emotions towards the future. Moreover, it often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might never be had again. It is the recollection of feelings, experiences, places, or events that once brought excitement, pleasure, and well-being, which now trigger the senses and makes one experience pain. However it acknowledges that to long for the past would detract from the excitement you feel towards the future. Saudade describes both happy and sad at the same time and is most closely translated to the English saying ‘bitter sweet’.
A Portuguese word for a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that one cares for and/or loves while simultaneously having positive emotions towards the future. Moreover, it often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might never be had again. It is the recollection of feelings, experiences, places, or events that once brought excitement, pleasure, and well-being, which now trigger the senses and makes one experience pain. However it acknowledges that to long for the past would detract from the excitement you feel towards the future. Saudade describes both happy and sad at the same time and is most closely translated to the English saying ‘bitter sweet’.
Provenance
Sovereign Art Foundation, Hong Kong, 2021Exhibitions
Birth of a New World, TARQ, Mumbai, 2021Literature
Platform Magazine, 'Birth of a New World by Rithika Merchant', 11th January: https://www.platform-mag.com/art/birth-of-a-new-world-by-rithika-merchant.htmlIndia Today, 'Restart" February Issue https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/leisure/story/20210215-art-restart-1766517-2021-02-06
Live Mint, Rithika Merchants interpretation of 'saudade', June 5 2021
https://lifestyle.livemint.com/how-to-lounge/art-culture/rithika-merchant-s-interpretation-of-saudade-111622859785450.html
Midday, Hope on canvas, June 16 2021
https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai-guide/things-to-do/article/hope-on-canvas-23178411
The Hindu, Where winged women fly away: The art of Rithika Merchant, June 18 2021
https://www.thehindu.com/society/where-winged-women-fly-away-the-art-of-rithika-merchant/article34846847.ece