Kusum retains natural simplicity in her paintings

by Tissa HEWAVITARAMA

In the suburbs of Kandy lies a small town known as Peradeniya. It is the location of the famous Botanical Gardens and the most prestigious seat of learning in South East Asia, Peradeniya University. The city is surrounded by the mountain range of Hantana and the Mahaweli river flowing down, skirts a section of its boundary in the shape of a horseshoe.

It is in the village of Meewathura that Kusum Mangalika was born on April 24, 1956. The scenic beauty of the village was a powerful influence to provide an artistic stimulus in her life. It started from the classroom at Sri Rahula Vidyalaya Katugastota where she completed her education.

Drawing sketches of animals, birds and human figures on the blackboard during free hours caught the eye of the art teacher E.K. Abeyratne whom she considered as her guru. Having learnt the art of painting from her art teacher, Mangalika later came under the tutelage of the reputed picture-story illustrator, artist Kalabushana Bandula Harischandra who moulded the Kandyan beauty to become a good artist and finally, bore its full harvest by marrying the pupil.

Of all the epics of Sri Lankan history no period was so rich in romance, adventure, music, drama and art as the seventies and eighties. It was a time the newspapers went to town carrying picture-story illustrations which became more popular than any hot news. The dailies and weeklies carried half pages of picture-story illustrations on the manifold activities of the people, bull fights, romance, seductions, bandits, and historic events being the entire panorama of Sri Lankan life.

The picture-stories became popular especially among children. It opened the doors for Mangalika to step into illustrating a series of picture-stories in newspapers and publications. Her reputation for book cover designs illustrations for stories in various publications and film titles spread far and wide, enabling her to join leading printing organisations as a commercial artist. However, her interest to paint landscape and wildlife did not lose momentum. She continued to paint attractive scenes of nature and human characters.

Mangalika also tried her hand at historical, and religious paintings. She is inspired by the local culture and architecture. There is something peaceful about her paintings. They convey her sense of silence and calm that reflects the mission of the artist. They bore a solitary feeling – something quite reflective. Her work is precise and she is a perfectionist in her work. In a world crowded by an influx of artists, it is very rarely that we meet one who perceives the world around her in a poetical and philosophical dimension.

Her creations are a genuine endeavour to understand how art is related to what people feel, what they learn and the cultures in which they live. Managalika continues to paint her cynical pictures of human character with its tragedy, cheerlessness, stupidity, grief, emptiness and occasional glimpses of nobility.

The scenic backgrounds and the realistic postures of her human figures became the fashion of the day. She is honest both in her art and in her social approach towards her clients. Mangalika paints sober colours with occasional flashes of sunlight that transform her canvas into miracles of magic. The unity of design and colour has been her ultimate goal as an artist. She retains natural simplicity in her paintings.

Mangalika held her art exhibition at the Lionel Wendt in 2008. Many art lovers and art critics were amazed by her creativity. In 2009 to help the security forces she held an exhibition at the Presidential Security Division Colombo, followed by another at the Vavunniya Army Command Centre in 2010 for disabled soldiers and schoolchildren. It is the first time that an art exhibition was held in an army camp. In 2011 another exhibition was held at the Army High command Intelligent Unit headquarters in Anuradhapura.

Mangalika’s artistic interests do not always revolve around painting; she has created costume designs for several films such as Vijaya-Kuweni, Mahindagamanaya and Kusa Pabawathi. At present she is engaged in illustrating a series of children’s books.