Artist Hewabatage : Triumph of patience

“Patience is a necessary ingredient of genius.” - Benjamin Disraeli

As common consent would have it, patience is an ascetic virtue. In our time this reclusive asset has virtually deserted human society. In his relentless pursuit of instant gratification, modern man has almost totally lost his capacity for striving. You press a key - push a button - the reaction is immediate. What on earth is the need for sustained effort? Why should you work hard at anything? This seems to be the predominant credo in many a field of human activity.

But, there are those who opt to go counter to this kind of inane and jejune attitude and practise their profession or craft with assiduous commitment. They may, at times, become objects of derisive curiosity.

On the other hand, there could be many others, who would adore and admire their unshaken patience and their capacity to focus upon what they do, with unrelaxed concentration.

Piyaratne Hewabatage

These preliminary observations, lead us to artist Piyaratne Hewabatage. His current art exhibition - the first in several decades - is a stunning celebration of creative patience.

His present collection of works, bears the impersonal appellation: “Nature and Tradition.” But, if you are keen to seek his creative soul, you must have a close encounter with his technique. The mystique of his unique creative expression is enshrined in his fastitious linear technique.

Those intricate traceries of lines, form the life of his art.

His main presentations are monochrome sketches, done in ink. He obtains the light-and-shadow effect, through a myriad of lines, painstakingly put in place.

In the instance of his art, the ‘theme’ of a given piece of work, does not really matter. What should concern the discerning viewer is the way, he has achieved his creative aim.

Artist Piyaratne Hewabatage, captures the “texture” of a stone, a tree or a living person with a minute series of fine lines, which are at times, nearly imperceptible.

He sketches a tree, crowned with a thick foliage. Each leaf of the tree is meticulously drawn.

The composition and the sense of proportion of each of his sketches, communicate the impression of classic perfection.

One of his centrally important works, depicts a clump of mangrove plants. The thick clump takes on an arch-shape, with water flowing under it. The viewer cannot help but get the impression, that the whole grove is living and breathing, while the water shimmers and is in perpetual movement.

The invariable question, that will agitate the mind of the amazed viewer is: How many days, months, nay years, did the artist take, to reach this creative height.

It seems apt to characterize this technique as ‘fresco in ink.’ Collectively, his works are an embodiment of massive patience.

His early, care-free childhood, happened in Mawanella - a rural setting nestled cosily amidst the sheltering central hills. Batalegala (the Bible Rock) that dominated the region, seemed to beckon the child Piyaratne Hewabatage, to a life of adventure. Not much tempted by academic pursuits or scholarship, he took to art and ended up at the Government College of Fine Arts.

He entered the wide world of competition and opportunity, as a graphic and commercial artist.

He possessed surprising originality. His mind was inventive. He had the gift of a fertile imagination. Both by nature and nurture, he became a graphic and commercial artist and a designer, with impressive alacrity. He possessed all the winning assets.

His career took him to both the private sector and the public sector.

Former President Ranasinghe Premadasa, readily recognised his exceptional talents. Utilizing his pragmatic and far-sighted vision, the former President made Hewabatage, part of his creative team-especially in his Gam udawa Project.

Eventually Piyaratne Hewabatage, established his own set up. He contributed substantially to the Singapore Buddhist Meditation Centre, that functioned under Ven. Weragoda Sarada Maha Thera. Several publications of the SBMC, reflect Hewabatage’s expertise as graphic designer and artist.

Some of his paintings

Imperatives of commercial assignments, leave him very little leisure for sustained creative art. But, his works on display, quite eloquently indicate the nature of enrichment his creativity could bring in, to the main stream of art in Sri Lanka.

Artist Hewabatage has produced a series of works, drawing inspiration from the healing rituals practised at folk level. For the purposes of these therapeutic folk performances, figures are created, with only an ephemeral functionality. At the end of the performance, these figures are ritually destroyed.

In his drawings, artist Hewabatage emphasizes the whimsicality of these figures and the garnish pigmentations the folk artists resort to.

An exhibition of the art of Piyaratne Hewabatage, should be considered an important event in the cultural life of our land. His genius is an outcome of his unflagging patience. In an age, where even the spiritually bent, tend to seek instant ‘Nirvena’, the sustained striving of artist Hewabatage, should set an example to those who are persuaded that ‘anything goes.’

Artist Piyaratne Hewabatage’s tranced pre-occupation with the telling detail, will never fail to stun and amaze.