Paintings of a simple mind

by Anjalie CHANDIMA SILVA

Mrs. Nalini Kodikara will hold an exhibition of her paintings titled 'Pinsalata Pinsidu Weva' at the National Art Gallery, Colombo 7 on August 4 and 5.

The opening ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. on August 4. The chief guest will be Prof. J. B. Disanayaka. The veteran artist Mrs. Sybil Wettasinghe and Dr. J. R. P. Sooriyapperuma will be invited guests.

An artist's life is not as simple as it may seem. Their thoughts on the art of self-motivation, ideas, concepts and deeper vision of their work have a great impact on the future of the artist's life. It's a commendable task to share their thoughts with the rest of the world rather than keeping them to oneself.

The budding artist Mrs. Nalini Kodikara by holding her maiden art exhibition Pinsalata Pin Sidu Weva has become a part of that endeavour.

I was surprised by the talent of the classical artist Mrs. Kodikara and I couldn't believe how she has given life to a picture drawn on a canvas or a mat. The subject matter of most of her paintings extend across a region of Buddhism and impermanency of life.

"I wasn't trained in an art school. But, since childhood I like drawing. I've always drawn with just a simple pencil. My main focus is on traditional art and not on modern digital art," she said.

"Brainstorming and sketching are crucial for me. The most important thing is the basic idea. Sometimes, I get a general sense of the result. So, I begin with big shapes. My style has always been influenced by our traditional culture and Buddhism," she said. It impersonates the art Jara drawn by her with charcoal.

The 20th century was a turning point in our conception of art which is mainly because contemporary artists frequently reach for new concepts, break with tradition and reject classic notions of beauty.

But, Mrs. Kodikara tries to give expression to her inner world and feelings by using traditional materials and techniques.

She has used coffee powder to draw an art as an experiment. It can be considered as the first art drawn with such material in the world.

Her paintings record the most delicate gestures and emotions. Painting or art is an unspoken and largely unrecognised dialogue.

Mrs. Kodikara clearly shows her inborn abilities in art. She has displayed the values of Buddhism in several paintings. Her paintings speak more than what she could talk about her paintings.

At an age when the contribution of classical artists is woefully inadequate, it is a pleasure to introduce an artist such as Mrs. Kodikara who is making a breakthrough in the field of Art.

Mrs. Nalini Kodikara is the wife of Mr. Somabandhu Kodikara, former principal of D. S. Senanayake College, Colombo and is at present the principal at the Sri Lankan School Muscat, Oman.