Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
Bitter Melon
Sarojini Jha Johnson
Color intaglio, deep etch, soft ground aquatint, 2004
Indian-American artist Sarojini Jha Johnson uses the medium of color intaglio prints to explore her memories and impressions of India. She seamlessly weaves together images of plants, animals, and Hindu deities to create intricate, jewel-like compositions.
In Bitter Melon, flowering vines tangle around a wooden fence, above which hovers a large melon, the luminous golden interior just visible, a slice having already been cut. The melon echoes the form of a waning crescent, the phase of the moon just before it goes dark. Jha Johnson includes the red figure of Parvati, the Hindu mother goddess associated with fertility, beauty, and love, standing on a lotus flower and adorned with a sacred thread and bangles. Her form echoes that of Chola bronze devotional statues.
“I believe that the dialog about culture and nationality is vital and that the visual arts are an important forum for communication of the subtleties and variations of individual viewpoints.”