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| Sunday, 27 February 2005 |
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Semage's Art : Curves and Kindred themes by Kala Kirti, Prof. V. Vitharana
In the meantime I had met several other artists who displayed an affinity with schools such as Shanthiniketana or that of the local sittaras, showing a flair to depict Buddhist and historical themes, aspects of native life, seeing and appreciating what they had created and hearing and absorbing what they had to say. Semage's themes are kindred, and his creations may be seen in the Buddhist Viharas of Malaysia, Singapore and Penag, and in the shrine-room of the People's Bank H.Q., Colombo. To say that they belong to a common niche is not to say that they are works alike. He has so far held over ten solo exhibitions and participated in many more that were held jointly with others, locally and abroad (ranging from Spain and USSR, to Japan and Korea), window displays, temple murals (as referred to), interior decor, permanent decorations, individual works at various institutions such as star hotels and embassies have made Semage outstanding among contemporary local artists. In addition, he is also a specialist at the creation of thoranas pandols or decorative archways) and these are really stupendous works, the one erected to mark the 50th anniversary of Sri Lanka's political independence being over 40 meters long and over six meters in height. Almost colossal were the thoranas that he created at the Gam Udava festival sites over a decade ago. This considerable record of activity is reflective of the intense appreciation of his works by local and foreign connoisseurs over a few continuous decades, and the reasons are many. Primarily, Semage is an artist born (and not much made), and it was natural that he passed all six examinations held by the Royal Academy of Arts, London with distinction and held his first solo-exhibition as a school boy. As one born in this country, he has made himself prone to the representation of the sensitivity of the people, their cultural traditions, and even the flow of nature's own beauty that he experiences in his environment. The curve evident in the temple art impressed him as a child, and it is the curve that is supreme in his creations. It is the curve that joins in harmony and beauty to bring out the shapes of females, males and animals in diverse poses, and trees and creepers, leaves and flowers in rhythmic arrangements - all pulsating with life. And colours - for what is art (and nature) with out colours! And it is in the choice and the blending of colours - whether in a small framed work selected for an exhibition, or in a gigantic out-door creation that Semage stands out, as did Nandalal Bose and Ananda Samarakone in their day. Never garish, and always soft to the eye, his choice of pigments is an object lesson in propriety. The brush is applied so delicately and in consonance with the flow of his curves, that one's eyes are made to glide over them with the ease of a butterfly on the wing. Semage is not only creative, but also is adept at the use and adaptation of traditional Sinhala art motifs, specially in the large-scale outdoor work in which he engages in periodically. In his occasional line work by which he brings out the feature of a female bust stylised, and in the manner in which he fills space one recognizes his alignment with certain features of this sittara genre. Semage nevertheless, is no 'camp follower'. He has learnt a few things from a few people and places, just like any other artist - an inescapable phenomenon of particularly the present times, but he is not any one of them he is Semage, artist of Sri Lanka and of the world as well. When his exhibition opens at Lionel Wendt Art Gallery from March 10 to 13, connoisseurs would be made aware of this truth in no small measure. Pooja to act in Sinhala film by Lakmal Welabada
Pooja Umashankar, a Lankan born Karnataka actress will be on Lanka's silver screen in Anjalica, a Sinhala commercial film. Anjalica is the maiden film of young teledrama actor and tele director, Channa Perera. The film is based on a love story. Anarkali Aakarsha and Sanath Gunathilaka will play the two main supportive roles in the film. Anjalica is the first production of Malith Films where the young producer Malith Palliyaguruge will also be introduced to the Lankan film industry. At the 'Muhurath' to launch the production of the film, Pooja sparing a few minutes with the media said that the Sinhala film is going to be her 'Lucky seventh'. She has acted in six Indian Tamil films so far. "I was born here. My mother is Sandya Hemachandra. She is a Sri Lankan. My father H.R.Umashankar is an Indian. I had left Sri Lanka to live in the Karnataka state with my parents when I was about two years," says Pooja with a brief self introduction. The young woman who has excelled in her higher studies says that she never had any intention of becoming an actress. "In 2003, just after finishing the MBA exam she had been shopping with some friends, when Jeeva, one of the best cinematographers in Bangalore had seen her and asked her if she would like to act in a film. He had urged her to take up a small role in 'Ullam Ke Kume' (My heart asks for more), and thereafter she had begun getting many offers. However, acting in films is not Pooja's first love. She prefers to get more involved in business management. "Acting will be a pastime for me," she adds. In Anjalica, Pooja will play a role of a typical Sinhala village girl. When asked how she was going to overcome the language barrier, she said she would keep her fingers crossed and do her best. "Though my mother is a Sinhalese, I am fluent only in Kannada and English. I have a fair knowledge of Tamil as all the six films I have acted so far are Tamil. At first, working with Tamil was also a problem for me, but I was able to overcome it. I hope 'Sinhala' won't be a barrier to me as my mother will be beside me throughout the shooting. Also I hope I will get a good crew to work with. I have already gone through the script of Anjalica and written it down in Kannada to ease myself to get absorbed into the character," says Pooja. Lankan artistes to perform in New Delhi India Habitat Centre, New Delhi has invited two Sri Lankan artistes, Pt. Somasiri Illesinghe and Sri Chitral Pandita to perform at their prestigious, HCL concert series. This classical music concert will be held on March 1 at 7 a.m. at the India Habitat Centre Basement Theatre. The duo will perform a violin duet recital, Indian tablist, Sri Prasun Chatterjee will accompany them on tabla.
Pt. Illesinghe who is a visiting lecturer at the Institute of Aesthetic Studies University of Kelaniya and the Indian Cultural Centre, Colombo served the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation from 1966 to 1982 and thereafter the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation upto 1999. At the time of his retirement he was the Director of Music at SLRC. Shilpi Chitral Pandita is the senior most disciple of Pt. Illesinghe. He obtained the Vadya Visharada degree in 1982 with a 1st division. He is a Chartered civil engineer by profession and obtained a first class B.Sc. Engineering degree at the University of Moratuwa and an M.Sc. in construction from the University of Technology, Loughborough, U.K. Shilpi Chitral Pandita has performed in many recitals over the SLBC and SLRC, and at classical concerts in Sri Lanka and abroad. Pandita was awarded the Bunka Award in 2004 for special achievement in Music by The Japan Sri Lanka Friendship Cultural Fund. He is the founder/chairman of Tamasha, a private sector organisation promoting classical music and fine arts. He is of the view that this tour will be a great opportunity for them to develop a strong relationship with the Indian artistes and similar organisations in India. Sri Yathna Perera a partner of Tamasha will also accompany the two artistes on this tour. Sri Lankeya Cinema Vanshaya
This 800-page book include over 2,500 photographs and covers the period from the birth of the world cinema in 1898 to the present status of the Sinhala cinema from its gestation in the late 1930s. A fascinating variety of facts and figures are included in 15 chapters of the book.
Sri Lankeya Cinema Vanshaya is published by Sarasaviya Publishers under the sponsorship of the National Lotteries Board. The launching ceremony will include the screening of film compiled by Tissa Nagodavithana highlighting certain cross roads of the Sri Lankan industry and will be embellished with a music show depicting the songs from films performed by popular singers under the music direction of maestro Rohana Weerasinghe. |
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| Produced by Lake House |
The more I saw of Jayasiri Semage, the more I admired him, and the more
I admired him the more he seemed to be at a distance from me. For, after
seeing his creations for the first time during the sixties I did not see
him for over thirty years.
Pt. Somasiri Illesinghe is one of Sri Lanka's leading classical
violinists. Born in 1939, he learned under the eminent violinist of Seniya
Gharana, Prof. G. N. Goswamy, Pt. Illesinghe has produced a number of
disciples who are at performing level.
Nuwan Nayanajith Kumara's Sri Lankeya Cinema Vanshaya, the culmination
of 20 years of research will be launched at the Elphinstone Theatre,
Maradana on February 28 at 5 p.m. This compendium can be recognised as the
first step towards recording in writing the history of the Sri Lankan
Cinema, setting out the various dynasties and periods that marked its ebbs
and flows of development.
The book sets on record the details of over 1,024 films made in Sinhala,
Tamil and in English in Sri Lanka. The productions are neatly categorised
into feature films, documentaries, dubbed films and various other
categories including co-productions and the international awards won by
the local production etc.
