Paper

2009.01

Florence E. Lonsford Endowment

Purchase

Funds Provided by the Florence Lonsford Endowment

2004

17 x 13

8-3/4 in

5-3/4 in

Global Matrix II: An International Print Exhibition (2007)

Sixty Square Inches Maximum: 16th Biennial North American Small Print Competition (2008)

Cultural/Historical Context

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.”