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| Sunday, 25 May 2003 |
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by Vimukthi Fernando Lovers and trees, blended together and springing from the same roots... Men hanging from a skeleton of a tree on desolate land, with electric bulbs, gas cylinders replacing their heads... Buddha meditating amidst machine guns, missiles and bombs... Amidst the depictions of life in its many forms stands a lean figure, with a greying head and an electrifying smile on a dark face. It is one of the greatest qualities man could have - humility. Fame from around the world had not even touched essence of his being - the village youth from the South enjoying every moment of life - observing, questioning, analyzing. It would only be right to say he is one of the most widely acclaimed Sri Lankan artists, committing four decades of his life to the love of art. The Sunday Observer recently met veteran artist S.H. Sarath at his home and art gallery at Nawala, Nugegoda. "This is my work place and gallery as well as home," says Sarath with a smile as he hurries to make us feel comfortable. A leisurely life, that's what he leads now, engrossed in his paintings. But his is far from a sedentary spirit, for his paintings scream out what he wants the rest of the world to notice and act upon. "A restless seeker, forever on the run, creatively speaking as if pursued," said veteran communicator, Edwin Ariyadasa about Sarath whom he had known for many years and one look at the paintings you would realise the truth in those words. The subtle strokes of his paint brush hold much strength, enough to shock you with its undertones of irony and humour and open your eyes to reality. And in Edwin Ariyadasa's words "seriousness and levity co-exist in neat balance" in his paintings. S. H. Sarath belongs to the post-independence generation of Sri Lankan artists. However, at a time art in Sri Lanka was on an imitative path, he developed his original style. A fusion between modern, traditional, western and the eastern. Hailing from Tallaramba, Weligama, Sarath had his professional education at the Government College of Fine Arts, Colombo and the Silpakorn University of Fine Arts, Bangkok, Thailand. His debut as a painter was in 1972, at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery where he exhibited his paintings with Henry Newton Perera. His maiden solo exhibition took place 2 years later, at the same venue. Since then, he has held nearly a 100 exhibitions and half of them solo, all over the world, including India, Bangladesh, Japan, Korea, Cuba, former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, former USSR, East Germany, UK, Canada and Brazil. Going down the memory lane Sarath laughs as he reminiscences about his career, or more of a hobby as Art Director in the Sinhala stage. Though forgotten now, in the 70s he brought colour to more than 50 stage dramas and 5 films for the Sinhala audience. Cherished is the time he spent as Project Officer (Art) at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, for over 10 years. One memorable account is the mural at the National Library Services Board, Colombo 7. "68 students and 18 teachers contributed to the mural, which is spread over 4 floors. The theme is - living in harmony with nature." He also had the opportunity to work closely with children, getting involved in a project by the Foundation of Children's History, Art and Culture (FCHAC) in Norway. "A memorable time" is how he describes his endeavour with children. His ardent efforts in making the project a success won him much acclamation from Norway, and from the founders of the FCHAC, Rafael and Alla Goldin. His intentions in serving the society, is not only limited to his art. His gallery is "open to aspiring artists, any time." |
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