The Sri Lankan prehistoric man was an artist

By Amal HEWAVISSENTI

The paintings, rather sketched figures by Sri Lankan prehistoric man who took shelter in caves from strong sun and rain, reflect his primitive taste and pragmatic approach to art associated with the immediate surroundings.

Though these paintings are generally referred to as "primitive art", the Prehistoric artists have pushed the bounds of primitivity a bit far from their paintings. In short, whatever shape their social life could have taken, their art betrays highest level of simplicity and creativity.

Sri Lanka prehistoric man whose simple lifestyle consisted solely of hunting animals by day and feeding on it in the cave, derived certain amount of inexplicable pleasure by drawing 'symbols' with his blood stained fingers. Sometimes he created varied shapes by mean of clay combined with juices and colours made from vegetable matter.

However the primitive man created his own art millions of years ago without adequate awareness that he was 'creating something artistic. Yet today we tend to analyse the primitive man's paintings for any artistic and aesthetic properties.

In whatever territory the primitive man inhabited in Sri Lanka, his sketches, drawings, symbols, figures, mirror the natural, unschooled and unpretentious man whose tastes too were simple.

On the other hand, his paintings speak volumes for the level of his pleasant confusion at the natural phenomena and his own battle for survival. The modern art enthusiast can better have a picture of Sri Lankan prehistoric man's due respect for nature genuine concern for environment, his sharp intelligence and the artistic properties of his creations.

His paintings are a sure expression of his instinctive battle for survival which involved fulfwilment of basic needs, transformations in nature, and trouble from wild animals. H.C.P. Bell, the archaeologist was the first to focus a wider research into the prehistoric paintings.

Later Sri Lankan scholars such as Dr. Shiran Deraniyagala, Prof. Senaka Bandaranayake, Senarath Wickramasinghe and Saddha Mangala Karunarathne concentrated on the aesthetic value of Pictorial symbols, paintings, sketches and shapes created by Sri Lankan prehistoric man. John steel and Dr. Shiran Deraniyagala have identified prehistoric paintings and pictorial symbols in places scattered in North Central Province and South Eastern regions in Sri Lanka.

They have manifestly recognised a few types of artistic creations by primitive man.The first group is letters and symbols which have been presented in a creative arrangement. They have been generally found in the caves located at Billawa, Thantirimale and Andiyagala. Moreover, the archaeologists have identified 'stick figures' which have been found in caves in Rajagalakanda, Ganegama and Komarikagala.

And the most significant and valuable creations by Sri Lankan prehistoric man were discovered in the caves in Kadurupokuna and they Predominantly attracted the notice of researches.

Creative paintings

The prehistoric artist had employed appropriate colours which were locally produced out of things commonly found in his surroundings.

He has produced ash grey, bright brown, maroon, dark orange and white naturally from diverse types of clay and vegetable matter such as leaves and bark. The paintings found at the caves of Kadurupokuna have been created realistically, geometrically and symbolically.

These paintings represent animal figures and sometimes human figures. The prehistoric man seems to have correctly captured the inner rhythm of animals and humans in dynamic action. For instance, some of the paintings represent human figures with bow and arrows and some paintings show human figures riding animals. Above all, all these paintings display a greater level of creativity and taste. The artist has taken a particular care to depict the scenes symbolically, geomatrically or creatively.

The paintings which show animals on the run and hunting human figures are expressive of dynamism which characterised prehistoric man's hunt for wild animals and wild animals' perpetual struggle for survival.

The four figures of animals

The paintings of Kadurupokuna caves are generally rated to be the creations of highest merit considering the atmosphere where the prehistoric man lived. The figures of four animals appearing in the paintings extant in the caves of Kadurupokuna could be analysed on the aesthetic merits and the creativity manifest in them. The primitive man seems to have represented the animals which he hunted or battled with, in his sketches on the walls of his home. This adequately proves the fact that Sri Lankan prehistoric man immensely valued art and creativity and was under the impression that mere survival was not the meaning of life.

He knew how to represent his struggle for survival, the natural phenomena which amazed him and the vital existence of animals which confronted him in the form of artistic paintings on the walls of his abode.

Even though the primitive man inhabited various regions of the country, the themes, style, colours and techniques employed by primitive artists betray a common identity and trend. For example, the figure of the animal (probably a massive mongoose like animal) has been drawn on a flat plane with one colour in surprisingly creative style against the simple, rough life they lived.

Though the figure of the animal, the artist has managed to present his vague awareness of the theory of perspective.

A single colour (blackish, brown) has been employed to indicate the dynamic movements of the animal and the overall depth of the paintings.

The primitive artist has successfully portrayed the neck of the animals towards the front and the trunk a bit backwards with the tail even more backwards in his attempt to represent the animal in its live form.

Though the head and belly of the animal are of the same width and scale, the different curves of the animal exhibit the life action and depth.

The tusker

A simple analysis of the figure of tusker in the same cave establishes the conclusion that prehistoric artist has duly identified the fundamental shapes and organs of the tusker whom he may have confronted in the course of hunting in the jungles. He has focussed on six parts under the tusker's body(trunk, four legs and the tail) but he seems to have ignored the basic scales of respective organs.

It is interesting to note that portraying the tusker's legs in thick form and tail in thin form has been completely immaterial to him. What has been most predominant in his artist mind is representing the animal with all its organs as he had personally observed.

The prehistoric man has clearly indicated the twotuskers which he may have valued best as belonging to the tusker.

Moreover, the painter has prominently left out the ears of the giant and the small part at the tip of the trunk has been carefully projected. However the prehistoric man has masterfully created the figure by employing simple shapes and one colour on the flat surface of stone.In the next figure, we identify the dynamic movement of a bull in flight or under attack.

The artist has realistically taken up the simple shape of a bull and has replaced the ears with a pair of sharp horns, The paintings shows how creative and fastidious the artist might have been in observing the behaviour and the outer appearance of the living animal in certain situations.

The bull's hump has been portrayed conspicuously but the legs have been shown to be short and simple.

The painting is so creatively drawn that a glimpse of it will assure that it is that of a bull.

The primitive man had closely observed the alignment of the tail when a bull takes to flight with the fullest energy. (When a bull runs with a fullest vigour, the tail become stiff and straight - and it was effectively noted by the artist).

Apart from that, Sri Lankan prehistoric man has pictorially represented certain creature which bear resemblance to a pangolin? The most noteworthy feature of the figure is the curved shape of the animal and the straight limbs.

However these paintings and symbols are an expression and a clear statement of the image of Sri Lankan prehistoric man.

The colours, decorations, symbols, shapes, and tools serve as strong testimony to their individual creativity and primitive symbiosis with nature. Whatever territory the prehistoric man inhabited in the world during the primordial epoch, the Sri Lankan primitive man shared his creativity taste and lifestyle with any primitive man.

Whether it is in Altameera cave of Spain, or in Lakso cave in France, or the Kadurupokuna caves in Sri Lanka the painting of the prehistoric man had the identical style and creativity with its other counterparts anywhere in the world.