Exploration of beauty in lines, shapes and colours

Chitralata
Author: Jayasiri Semage
Publisher: Sarasavi Publishers (Pvt) Ltd, Nugegoda.

Reviewed by Geethika Seneviratne

It is a general practice to publish selections of best paintings of great artists to be relished by art connoisseurs. They are normally called coffee table books and often become collectors’ treasures. Chitralata might appear, at first sight, as another addition to the class.

Yet this attractively produced book has a different identity, perhaps the first of its kind in Sri Lanka. It is, of course, a collection of delightful paintings by one of our high ranking artists. It, nevertheless, comes with a bilingual commentary on the themes of the paintings.

The pictures are all by internationally acclaimed Kalasuri Dr. Jayasiri Semage, colourfully reproduced in a thematic classification, with an additional bonus of thought provoking commentary written in English and Sinhala by eminent Prof. Chandima Wijebandara.

The book is given a unique identity by its thematic composition. There are four chapters, each carrying a separate theme, displaying how Semage has expressively developed it in lines, shapes and colours. The first chapter is a pictorial depiction of love and compassion, two delicate emotions of human character.

Prof. Wijebandara said, “One of the main tasks of art is expressing love in pictures, songs and poems, as indifference to love makes life extremely boring, dull and unpleasant”. And compassion takes love to an even higher pedestal providing a spiritual quality to this rather mundane emotion.

Semage's delightful visualisations of romantic love and universal compassion provide inspiration for young artists to explore further into the unimaginably vast space of creativity.

The second chapter portrays paintings on the theme of singing, dancing and music. It shows how a maestro of visual arts displays his sensitivity of performance arts. This interpenetration is possible because of shared aesthetic values common to visual and performing art forms. Semage has skilfully caught various performing scenarios with his rhythmic strokes to freeze them on canvass. He escorts the reader on a hypnotic journey into the world of song, music and dance.

In the Third chapter we are made to revisit vicariously the country life, which we all miss living in cities distanced from natural beauty. Ecstasy of beautiful village life, the artist once enjoyed as a child, seems still lingering in his mind.

His paintings make us dreamingly hear the mooing of cows, listen to the songs of birds and enjoy the fragrance of flowers while listening to the chuckle of village beauties.

“Rhythm, beauty and joy” is the title given to the fourth chapter in Chitralata. In fact, it inspires us to find aesthetic joy at its supreme height, not limiting it to physical dimension. Semage explores beauty in delightful family life, graceful natural scenery and expression of contentment. His definition of beauty envelopes all mundane and supra-mundane ecstasies possible for people of cultured taste.

The value of this superb feast of artistic joy is admirably increased by the enlightening and informative commentary provided by Prof. Chandima Wijebandara which has replaced the traditional practice of formal captions. With his versatile and imaginative style the learned professor has added reading pleasure to the viewing pleasure of these aesthetically eloquent pictures. He has added extra lustre to his comments by quoting words of philosophers, art critics and world famous artists.

John Keats

For instance, quoting the words of John Keats, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever. Its loveliness increases. It will never pass into nothingness” he opines”... artists dwell in beauty; they have superior insights. They complete what nature leaves incomplete.

They do not copy or duplicate reality. They make it supremely beautiful and make us happy, more happy and only happy.” Writing on the painting on love, he refers to Marilyn Monroe's words: “The real lover is the man who can thrill you by kissing your forehead or smiling into your eyes or just staring into space.”

Chitralata, as a matter of fact, is the second art book written by Dr. Dayasiri Semage. The second impression of his previous book Ridma Rekha was also published by Sarasavi Publishers recently. The second book of Semage is unique as it is different from many coffee table volumes of pictorial collections. This is a double bonus work, both for viewing and reading.