Michael Anthonisz mystery of metamorphosis

by Ryhanna Salle

Michael Anthonisz finds inspiration in the Bible, Greek Mythology, Aborigine Dreamtime and Italian Renaissance painters. He prefers to paint figures and is instinctively drawn to the human form.

His fascination with the human figure could perhaps be the result of many years as a swimming coach and champion.

His painting titled the “Creation of Woman” was influenced by Genesis (Chapter 2). He says the painting symbolises regeneration because God told man to be fruitful and multiply. He is also fascinated by the different phases a foetus goes through, and birth is a recurring theme in the painting.

The face of the man in the painting bears a close resemblance to the artist. For Michael, breaking up faces into figures is challenging, and he takes the challenge a step further by incorporating multiple figures in his paintings.

There is a thematic link between his paintings “Through the Looking Glass” and “Metamorphosis of the Enigmatic Woman” because the face of Mona Lisa is depicted in both, but in the former Mona Lisa also symbolises Helen of Troy which highlights the influence of Greek mythology. The influence of Italian Renaissance painter Raphael is also reflected in “Through the Looking Glass” by the depiction of “The Three Graces” which symbolises the choice of Paris. There are interlocking figures in all three paintings which are done in oil on canvas because it best suits the theme and makes the paintings come alive.

The artist’s fascination with faces and figures is highlighted by the way in which he began pulling out faces from his daughter Tasmina’s Montessori leaf prints. He also created a sombre crucifixion scene from the painting and ironically named it “Where are the clowns?” He has no pre-determined ideas but develops his paintings gradually and loses himself in music while painting.

Michael had his primary and secondary education at S. Thomas Preparatory school and S. Thomas College, Mount Lavinia. He took a gap year after his Advanced Level which was not fashionable at the time and attended the art classes of A.C.G.S. Amarasekara. Later on he studied Accountancy and joined the internal audit unit of John Keells that focused on improving processes and controls. He has exhibited his work in Paris and is an avid art collector.

Pix: Shan Rupassara